The Sorceress' Return
by DM Draco Moondragon
Summary: A fanfic based 30 years after the events of the game. Will have adult subject matter in certain chapters. You've been warned! FF8 characters, locations, and spells/summons belong to Square-Enix. Everything else is mine. Chapter 8 finally finished! Hopefully will be updated more frequently.
1. Ch 1 The New Generation

**Chapter 1 – A New Generation**

It's been 30 years since the defeat of the Sorceress Ultimecia, and the world is thriving in seemingly perpetual peace, with the exception of the occasional monster infestation. While the threat of the Sorceress is gone, the mighty mercenary force SeeD is still in full swing, their ranks growing by the year. With a new garden having been built in Esthar, Trabia Garden rebuilt, and the alliance between Galbadia and Balamb Gardens reforged, SeeD is an ever growing organization. Heading the organization are the six that defeated the mighty Ultimecia. Squall Leonhart, the headmaster of the new Esthar Garden and de facto leader of SeeD, even at age 48. His wife, Rinoa, now age 47, is the primary para-magic instructor for all future SeeDs. Quistis Trepe has taken over as headmistress of Galbadia Garden, due to her friendship with the aging Garden Master Martine. Selphie Tilmitt has also become the headmistress of a Garden, naturally being the Garden in Trabia. Her husband Irvine is the primary instructor for all SeeDs that wish to train in firearms. Zell Dincht has been entrusted with the position of headmaster of Balamb Garden, since he has greatly matured since his adventure with Squall.

Some of the six even have offspring of their own that are training to become SeeDs, themselves. There are even some of their friends and rivals that have children that undergo the training, as well. Selphine Kinneas is the daughter of Irvine and Selphie and is 17 years of age. She is nearly identical to her mother at that age, but is blessed with her father's hair and marksmanship. She carries twin pistols, which she calls "Flirt" and "Tease." River Loire, age 18, is the son of Ellone, and is almost identical to Laguna in every way, including his weapon, a machine gun he calls "Hailstorm." Samantha Almasy, age 18 is the daughter of Seifer, but is fortunately his polar opposite in personality. When she told Seifer she would train to be a SeeD, he handed down his gunblade, "Hyperion," to her. Then, there's Draco Leonhart, the son of Squall and Rinoa, now age 19. His appearance is almost identical to his father's, but has his mother's long hair (though his is often braided). The weapon he carries is an odd combination of polearm and gunblade, a weapon he calls the "Na-gun-ata."

The world these young people train in is a relatively peaceful one, but little do they know of the danger that awaits from the distant future...

"Is the ritual ready, yet?"

"Almost, ma'am. We're nearly finished."

"Good. We can't have any mistakes, if we wish this to work."

"Understood, ma'am. We're drawing the array to your exact specifications."

"Excellent..."

_The Week of SeeD Selection Exams_

The back of the training center in Balamb Garden was a menagerie for the sounds of battle as Draco Leonhart was practicing the art of the gunblade against his best friend, Spike Dragonas. Spike, though much taller than Draco, was younger and less experienced in the art of battle, but his skills with spears and lances were unmatched by any of the other students. The two of them had made it a habit to train at least once a week in the back of the training center, but they almost always ended up with a crowd to watch their matches. Draco was about to end the battle with an aimed shot towards the neck (which he would always stop, since it was sparring), but Spike caught him off guard with a spin of his spear, catching Draco's gunblade towards the back of the blade, and wrenching it from his grip, ending with the spear-tip pointed right at his heart.

"You're slacking in your gunblade skills, Draco. Maybe you should stick to polearms, like me and Yamina. You were always better with them, anyway."

Draco knew he was right, and it did piss him off slightly, but at least it was his best friend and teammate saying it, rather than some random student. "My new weapon isn't ready, yet. My dad had Headmaster Dincht go ahead and make me something a little more suitable. I'm supposed to have it sometime this week before the field exam."

"Yeah, didn't you say it was gonna be a really weird weapon?" Spike asked, unsure of what to think of Draco's choice in weapon mechanics.

"It is, but it's not about looks, it's about functionality and how well it can be used." Draco smiled as he retrieved his gunblade from the training room floor. "Anyway, we gotta get over to Galbadia. Headmistress Trepe'll be mad if we're late to her mid-range battle course again."

Since the Gardens and Esthar had joined forces, the Gardens had been given certain pieces of Esthar technology to help them run smoother, especially where the newest Garden was located within Esthar itself. The four Gardens were connected by a network of matter transporters that allowed the students to take classes at multiple Gardens at once, making it more possible for the students to become more well-rounded fighters.

When Draco and Spike arrived at Galbadia Garden, their last teammate, Yamina Phoenix, was waiting for them, her staff and Draco's naginata in hand.

"You two were almost late again! How long is it gonna take for me to pound the idea of punctuality into your skulls?"

Yamina may have been shorter than Draco, but she made up for it with incredible staff skills and para-magic abilities. Though he'd never admit it, Draco was indeed attracted to this dark-skinned beauty, who was only a mere 7 months his senior.

"Sorry, Yamina. We got caught up in our training. It's not exactly easy to keep track of time when you're in the heat of battle." Draco said, scratching the back of his head in embarrassment.

"Whatever." Yamina sighed, thrusting Draco's naginata into his hands. "Anyway, how'd you two do on your SeeD written exams?"

Spike was the first to speak up. "I did fairly well, but I kinda messed up on the status immunities portion. I didn't realize that junctioning Esuna wouldn't protect from Drain or instant KO. I thought it protected against everything."

Draco interjected. "Nope. That only works if you have Esuna, Holy, and Dispel junctioned, and even then, it's not guaranteed."

Yamina turned to him. "So, I guess that means you did better, then?" Inside, she sighed to herself as she looked at Draco. Nobody ever realized that there was a mutual crush between the two of them. They didn't even realize the other was crazy about them!

Draco nodded. "Yeah. My dad helped me study for it a bit, since he knew I'd probably struggle with certain parts. All that's left are the interviews and the field exam."

Spike stuck his tongue out in disgust. "Ugh, I am so not looking forward to the interviews. They ask a lot of personal questions..."

"That may be, but it's so they can figure out whether or not you have the emotional and personal qualities of a SeeD." Draco said, trying to get it so Spike wasn't so nervous.

"He's right, Spike. The interviews may suck, but it just makes it easier for the higher ups to see if we're emotionally ready." Yamina said, also trying to comfort him, though she was also fairly nervous about the interviews.

"I guess. Well, time for class."

After their last class with Headmistress Trepe before the field exam, the three of them decided to go to Trabia Garden to hang out. It was here that Draco saw another team that was made up of close friends of his from his childhood, besides Spike. Team Storm, they called themselves: Samantha Almasy, Selphine Kinneas, and River Loire. Draco and River may as well have been cousins, since Squall saw Ellone as a sister, and they often talked to each other as such.

"Hey, cuz! What's shakin'?" Asked River, who hadn't seen Draco in over a week.

"Not much, River. How's the long-range training with Instructor Kinneas going?"

"He says that Selphine and I are showing a lot of progress in the rapid-fire department. We can both manage to hit our targets dead-center 85% of the time when we rapid-fire."

"That's great! Are you guys all taking the field exam this week?"

It was Samantha's turn to speak up, this time. "Yeah. We all passed the written exam pretty easily. Headmaster Trepe even said that I had more potential than my father did at my age, which is sayin' something, I guess." Samantha was always the most modest of Team Storm, not giving a damn what others thought of her, and not broadcasting how proficient her abilities were.

Selphine piped up with the same energy her parents were both known for. "I can't wait! These girls o' mine are gonna get one hell of a workout!" she said, indicating her twin pistols, Flirt and Tease. "By the way, y'all know the interviews are startin' in about 20 minutes at Esthar, right? We better get a move on before we're late."

With that, the six friends made their way to the transporter to take them to Esthar Garden, unsure of what to expect from the selection interviews.


	2. Ch 2 The Exam Selection

**Chapter 2 – The Exam Selection**

The members of Team Storm and Team Valiant (Draco's squad) had all arrived at Esthar Garden, whose appearance was much more technologically advanced than those of the other Gardens. It seemed as though they were right on time, too. The SeeD Inquisition, as it was often called, had been assembled. The group consisted of 10 members that were either instructors, headmasters or headmistresses, other SeeDs, or those that knew the organization inside and out: Headmasters Leonhart and Dincht, Headmistresses Trepe and Tilmitt-Kinneas, Instructors Kinneas and Heartilly-Leonhart, Quistis' old friend Xu, Dr. Kadowaki, and the aging Cid and Edea Kramer. One of the Garden faculty approached the door of the sealed chamber with a list of names. He spoke with a deep and commanding voice.

"When your name is called, you will be asked to enter the SeeD Council Chamber, and you will remain there until the Council dismisses you. Pay attention, because I'll only call names once. Spike Dragonas, Student ID #01799, please enter the Council Chamber."

Spike gave an audible gulp at the mention of his name, first. _Damn it all! They always seem to call me first for things I don't wanna do!_ he thought. Obediently, he approached, trying to look as confident as possible, but didn't think he was succeeding. He entered the chamber, where it looked much like a spherical courtroom, but the chair in the center was made so the candidates could be more comfortable. The room itself was designed to look like a planetarium, so that the candidates could feel more at ease during such a stressful event. This sight almost immediately calmed Spike's nerves as he removed his spear from his back and stood before the SeeD Council.

Squall was the first to speak. "Please, sit down, Spike. After all, we want you to be comfortable here." Spike did as he was asked, holding his spear beside him. "Now, while I may have known you since you were a kid, the rest of us haven't had that opportunity. So, why don't you tell us a little about yourself, so that we know more about who you are?"

Spike took a deep breath, then proceeded to give the Council an accurate account of his life. "Well, I was born in the town of Balamb, raised by a fishing family. Fishing was our life in Balamb, after all. Anyway, my parents went off on a fishing job when I was 8 and the boat got caught in a nasty storm. A rogue wave ended up breaking the boat in half, and my parents didn't make it. Headmaster Leonhart took me in after he caught wind of what had happened from Headmaster Dincht, since his son was about my age. Since then, I've been at Garden training constantly to be stronger, thanks to Headmaster Leonhart and Draco."

Outside the Council Chamber, Draco and Yamina were having problems of their own. The Garden Disciplinary Committee had just shown up, where they were going to attempt SeeD-hood. The group called themselves Team Chrome, due to the fact they all had motorcycles and used chrome-plated weapons. The leader was James Nitrous, a greatsword wielder with long and flowing black hair that matched his leather jacket, pants, and boots. His flunkies were Mike Muffler and Pete Piston, both with liberty-spike mohawks, only Mike's was red, while Pete's was white. They both carried shotguns, like Instructor Kinneas. These three had always given Team Valiant trouble, finding every excuse they could to try to throw down with them.

James walked up to Draco with a look that said "I'm gonna take you out." He spoke with a heavy British accent. "So, Team Valiant's takin' the exam, too? I suggest stayin' outta our way, 'cause nothin's gonna stop us from bein' SeeDs, especially not spoiled brats like you!" He put his hand on the hilt of his greatsword, but Yamina was quicker, putting one end of her staff inches from his face.

"Just leave us alone, Nitrous. We don't want anything to do with you, today. Just fuck off!"

Nitrous was fuming, now, and he used a hand to bat Yamina's staff away while his flunkies pointed their guns at her. "I'd suggest shuttin' your fuckin' mouth, you little tart! If I wanted any shit from you, I'd cut that pretty ass of yours off!"

Just then, the sound of guns cocking from behind Pete and Mike, as well as Draco swinging his naginata towards James' neck, could be heard. River and Selphine had caught wind of the conversation and decided to intervene. "I'd suggest lowerin' them guns before my girls blow your head to bits!" threatened Selphine, Flirt and Tease ready to fire, if necessary. Pete and Mike did as they were told.

It was Draco's turn to say something, where he'd been silent throughout the whole ordeal. "Nitrous, I'd suggest taking your butt-buddies here and getting away from us, or our weapons will be tasting the sweet blood of victory at your expense."

James was visibly sweating, now, especially with the blade of Draco's naginata at his throat. "Alright, you little bastards, me friends and I'll get outta your 'air, but know this: Team Chrome ain't gonna go down so easy next time. We'll be eatin' your 'earts for supper, by the time we get done with you, when we throw down!"

Draco gave James a look that would've petrified him, if Draco were a cockatrice. He had never liked Nitrous, but the fact that he threatened one of his closest friends was enough to make him nearly kill him. He turned back to the others, Samantha now joining the circle. "Let's stick close, in case something like that happens again."

River nodded in agreement. "Yeah. We don't need anything like that happening around here. With them acting like that, I'd be surprised if they're even allowed to take the Field Exam."

Meanwhile, back inside the Council Chamber, Spike's inquisition was still underway. Headmistress Trepe was the next to speak. "So, you came here as an orphan. That's not unlike a lot of us. What made you wish to ascend to the title of SeeD?"

Spike had to think for a moment. "Hmm... I guess it's because I didn't want to be left behind by my closest friends." Then, his original reason came to the front of his mind. "That, and I wanted to prove I could do it! So no one could ever call me a failure!"

Zell spoke up, this time. "I like that fire in your eyes, Spike. Reminds me a lot of me when I was your age. Seeing you here now makes me glad I brought you to Squall."

Spike was even smiling broadly. _Wow... Praise like that from Headmaster Dincht? That's something else!_ He looked over to Headmaster Leonhart. He was smiling, too. _I even got Headmaster Leonhart's attention? Alright! Even if he was the one that brought me here, I'm glad even he approves of me._

Xu stood and asked one of the protocol questions that Squall had forgotten. "Where our leader has forgotten to ask, I must ask your warrior class and combat proficiencies."

Spike spoke up proudly, this time. "I'm a dragoon, and as such, the spear is my primary weapon style. I also have some experience with katanas, and I have been ranked A in status magic." _Which is why I was so pissed about doing so poorly with the status magic portion of the written exam._ He was punching himself in the head in his mind.

Cid finally spoke up. "We've never had a dragoon among the ranks of SeeD. I think we'd be proud to have you take the exam, Mr. Dragonas."

Then, Irvine asked what was likely the most important question. "Alright, last thing before we decide: What do you think of your current squad, Team Valiant?"

Spike didn't hesitate to answer. "Draco and Yamina are my best friends, and where we all use similar weapons, we can push each other to train the others harder. We've all become stronger, because of it."

Selphie couldn't contain her excitement. Despite her being in her 40's, she hadn't lost any of her energy from when she was a teenager. "That's the kind of attitude you _should_ have about your squad! You all must be a really tight-knit group. I agree with Cid!"

"Come now, Selphie, we don't need you bouncing off the walls," said Edea, her aging ears ringing from Selphie's outburst. "It's now time to vote. All those in favor of Spike entering the Field Exam, raise your right hand." It was a unanimous vote, and Spike's eyes lit up.

"Congratulations, Spike Dragonas," began Squall, "You will officially take part in the SeeD Field Exam. Dismissed."

Spike bowed in respect to the SeeD Council, then casually walked out. This was merely a mask over the true excitement he felt. After he exited the Chamber, he jumped high in the air and landed right in the middle of the circle of friends that was formed by the other two members of Team Valiant, as well as Team Storm. They all jumped back in surprise.

"Good news, guys! I'm in!" Spike exclaimed, his eyes dancing with excitement.

The entire circle gathered around him, congratulating him several times over. The celebration was short-lived, though, as the Garden faculty member returned with his list of students. "Student ID # 08012, Yamina Phoenix, please enter the Chamber and present yourself to the Council."

Yamina looked to the others nervously. "Well, wish me luck, guys." She ran to the Chamber, hoping to get the ordeal over with quickly. When she entered the Chamber, she was overwhelmed by how big the chamber looked, but it really wasn't all that big.

"Please, take a seat, Yamina," said Rinoa, who was seated directly next to Squall. She did as she was asked and sat in the comfortable chair in the center of the Chamber. Rinoa continued. "Now then, if you would, please state your full name, your warrior class, and your combat proficiencies."

Yamina started to relax as she began. "My name is Yamina Phoenix. I am classified under the combined classes of white mage and monk. My combat proficiencies include weapons mastery with Class 1 Polearms, such as staves and long-handled maces, healing magics, and support magics. I am ranked S in tactical defense magic."

Selphie piped up again. "Come on, Yamina, you don't have to be so uptight. Just talk to us like we're your friends. The questions might sound formal, but you don't have to be."

"She's right, Yamina," said Squall, "Now, why don't you tell us a little about yourself. None of us really know you that well, after all."

Yamina took a deep breath, then began to recount her life as Spike had. "Well, I was born in the town of Timber. My parents were a couple of the last resistance members left in the town before it gained its independence 10 years ago. They were tragically killed when the Galbadian Army derailed one of the trains leaving the town, since they suspected resistance members were escaping on it. Sadly, they were right. Somehow, I survived that train wreck, as I was hidden in one of the back cars on the train. When the soldiers came looking for survivors, I fled, looking for Galbadia Garden. It was there that Headmistress Trepe took me in and trained me in the art of battle. I don't know where I'd be without her."

Quistis was starting to tear up at the mention of her taking Yamina in. She regained her composure, though, and went on with her usual questioning. "I remember that day like it was yesterday. You had so much potential, and you still do. Now, what has driven you to aspire to the title of SeeD?"

"So I can protect people with my friends," Yamina replied without hesitation. "I can't have the same thing happen to other people that happened to my parents. And I don't want to be without my friends. They're the only friends I have."

"Speakin' of your friends, what's your opinion of your squad, Team Valiant?" asked Irvine as he tipped his hat upwards.

Yamina's face turned a little red. "Well, Spike is an awesome fighter, and Draco's an excellent leader. I'm not all that close to Spike, but he's still a friend. And I tell Draco everything." _Well, not really everything, but I can't bring myself to confess to him..._

Cid spoke once more. "Well, it seems you have a team reminiscent of Squall's after Ultimecia's defeat. You should be proud to have such wonderful teammates, Ms. Phoenix."

Xu stood up. "Alright, it's time to vote. All in favor of Yamina Phoenix taking part in the SeeD Field Exam, please raise your right hand." It was once again a unanimous vote. Yamina actually squeaked in surprise, which prompted giggles from Selphie and Quistis.

"Congratulations, Yamina, you are now officially a participant in the SeeD Field Exam," said Squall. "Dismissed." Just as Spike did, Yamina bowed to the Council and left the Chamber. Squall then made an observation. "Anyone else notice how red she turned when we asked about her squad?"

Quistis giggled a little. "Yes, and I know why. It's not my place to say, though."

"That's fine, Quistis. I won't ask you to reveal the reason."

Outside the Chamber, Team Valiant and Team Storm were celebrating again, since Yamina had told them her good news. The faculty member returned with his list. "Student ID # 17389, Draco Leonhart, please enter the Chamber and present yourself to the Council."

Draco sighed, then turned to the others. "Well, I'll be back, guys. Wish me luck." He made his way to the Chamber doors, then slowly walked in. His father had shown him this room, before, so it wasn't a shock to him how big it looked, but he knew it wasn't as large as it appeared.

Irvine tipped his hat to Draco. "Go ahead and sit down, Draco. You oughta be comfortable here, after all." He did as he was asked, his naginata held in hand. Irvine continued. "Alright, bud, we need your full name, warrior class, and combat proficiencies."

Draco nodded. "My name is Draco Leonhart. I'm a monk and gunblade specialist with skill as a red mage. I use both Class 3 Polearms and Gunblades, though I'm told my skill with polearms is better. I'm also a tactical support magic specialist. I'm ranked S in tactical combat."

Quistis nodded as Draco was listing his proficiencies. She had the list in front of her to see if students would embellish their true proficiencies for a better chance at a spot in the Exam. "Very good. You're certainly a well-rounded warrior, Draco. Now, then, for the benefit of the interview, we'd like for you to tell us a little about yourself."

"Well, as you all know, I am the son of Headmaster Leonhart and Instructor Heartilly. I've been raised in the Garden atmosphere all my life. I was born in Esthar on Headmaster Dincht's 28th Birthday. Because of who my parents are, there was a lot of pressure to be as good as they were at everything. When I wasn't in class, I was always a loner, just like Dad. A lot of people used to call me 'a young Squall.' I thought it was a compliment, and it turns out it was. Anyway, over time, I decided that maybe it was time for me to follow in Dad's footsteps, so I started training harder than ever. Since then, I've excelled in all my classes, and my combat proficiencies have gone through the roof."

"And we've always been proud of you, Draco," said Rinoa, her hand over her heart. "Now, my son, I must ask you why you've chosen to aspire to the rank of SeeD?"

Draco cleared his throat, then said, "Well, I've always wanted to help people, and I know that SeeD does that every day. I also wanted to follow in my father's footsteps and become the greatest that SeeD has to offer. And I can't forget my friends. They've driven me even more than everyone else has. I just want to be able to stand at their sides in battle."

"And what do you think of your squad, Draco? Is Team Valiant really all you hoped it would be?" asked Selphie, her eyes seeming to dance with the emotion she was feeling from Draco's words.

Draco nodded. "Yes. My team is everything I could hope for in a squad. Spike is an excellent fighter, and he's much more intelligent than he lets on. And I couldn't ask for a better healer than Yamina. She's an amazing warrior. I tell them both everything." _Except how much I like Yamina. I could never tell her that. Spike, either, 'cause he'd probably tell her..._

Edea spoke once more. "It seems your team has become very close, Draco. As such, I see no reason why all 3 of you shouldn't be able to take the Exam." She turned to the Council. "All in favor of allowing Draco Leonhart to participate in the SeeD Field Exam, raise your right hand." It was decidedly unanimous.

"Congratulations, Draco," began Squall. "You are officially a participant in the SeeD Field Exam. Also, due to the closeness of your squad, you three will be kept together as a team for the Exam."

"I got something for you, too, Draco," called Zell. He pulled an odd-looking weapon up from by his feet. It looked like a naginata, but the blade was that of a gunblade, very similar to Squall's. "I finished it yesterday, but didn't get a chance to give it to you. The trigger mechanism is meant to respond only to pressure and your voice. It's also made of adamantine, so it won't break on you." He held the blunt end out to Draco, who took it with a broad smile.

"Thanks, Headmaster. I'll take good care of it."

"I'm sure you will, son," replied Squall. "Dismissed."

With that, Draco left with both weapons in hand and a broad smile on his face. He approached the group and gave them the news that he had been accepted. "Also, guys, the three of us will be kept together as a squad for the exam. Time to show 'em what we can do, right?"

His team cheered with excitement. Draco held out his naginata as he hit a few buttons on his wrist-unit. The naginata then disappeared. "Had to send it back to my dorm. I won't be needing it anytime soon," he said as he stepped back and swung his new weapon to get a feel for it.

Spike got a good look at it. "Wow... Headmaster Dincht outdid himself with this one. What're you gonna call it?"

Draco smiled. "Well, I'd call the weapon type a 'na-gun-ata,' but as for the name of the weapon itself, I think I'll call it... Dragon Rose."

_Some time later that day..._

After the members of Team Storm had also been accepted for the Exam, the six friends decided to celebrate. Their only problem was how they were going to do so.

"Alright, guys, so what're we gonna do?" inquired River.

Draco got a decent idea. "How about the restaurant at the Deling City Hotel? We could go there to celebrate! I hear they have some excellent food there."

"That's a great idea, Draco! I'm up for it, if the rest of y'all are!" exclaimed Selphine, clearly overjoyed at the prospect of dining at such a place.

"Alright, then, all in favor of the Deling City Hotel, raise your weapons!" cried Yamina, who immediately raised her staff over her head with both hands. Draco and Spike did the same, while Selphine held up her pistols, River lifted his gun, and Samantha held Hyperion upright.

"Well, I guess that decides it, then," replied River. "Off to the Deling City Hotel for some celebratory dining!"

With River taking the lead, and the others close behind, the band of six made their way to the matter transporter leading to Galbadia Garden, then caught the next train to Deling for a night of celebration.


	3. Ch 3 The Field Exam

**Chapter 3 – The SeeD Field Exam**

After a night of bright celebration (and River having one too many glasses of wine), Team Valiant and Team Storm decided to call it a night, leaving everyone to their dreams when they returned to their respective Gardens and dorms. While most of their slumbers remained peaceful, Yamina's was not, as she had her usual recurring nightmare of the day her parents died. When the nightmare ended, she awoke in a cold sweat sitting bolt upright. Her nightshirt was drenched in sweat and tears, allowing it to cling to her ample bosom.

"Geez... When is this fucking nightmare gonna stop? I hate always waking up at night like this..." She went to her dresser and pulled out another nightshirt to wear, then changed into it. She then returned to her bed and clung to her pillow. "I sure am glad Draco didn't see me like this..."

Two days after the interviews, the SeeD Field Exam was scheduled to begin. All of the participants, including even Team Chrome, assembled in the main hall of Esthar Garden. As they all gathered together, Headmaster Leonhart made his way into the area, his very presence commanding respect.

"SeeD candidates! Fall in!" he ordered. They all did as commanded, forming their individual squads. "Now, then, as you all know, the Field Exam for SeeD Selection is today. You all have met the required prerequisites and been accepted through the interviews. Now, it is time for you to exhibit what you've learned on a true battlefield." Draco, Spike, and Yamina all got excited looks on their faces at the mention of true combat. Squall brought up a holo-screen to give a detailed briefing of the Exam Mission. "Now, the mission for this exam is a routine extermination, but on a much larger scale than most SeeDs are used to seeing. We are, however, very confident in your abilities, and we all believe that even you rookies are capable of this mission. A minor version of the Lunar Cry is occurring at Tears' Point. For those of you not aware, the Lunar Cry is a phenomenon that brings swarms of monsters from the moon to here. How it happens is unknown, but we do know the result is a larger monster population on the planet. Your mission will be to go to Tears' Point and exterminate as many of those monsters as possible, but do not be afraid to run if you feel unfit for battle with any certain creature." He then brought up pictures of two certain creatures to look out for. "These creatures should be avoided if at all possible: Iron Giants and Ruby Dragons. The armor of the Iron Giant is nearly impenetrable, and its strength is definitely equal to its size. Ruby Dragons are fire specialists, and won't hesitate to use a powerful breath weapon that can wipe out an entire squad in one blow."

Draco raised his hand and spoke up. "If we think we can take these things on, can we?"

Squall nodded. "You may, but use caution when doing so. If the battle becomes too tiresome, don't hesitate to flee."

Nitrous decided to pipe up. "Alright, so we're supposed to go all the way to Tears' Point, but 'ow the bloody 'ell are we supposed to get there? We're all the way across the continent from there, and this Garden can't fly like the others, yet!"

Nitrous was right. Esthar Garden hadn't yet had the ability to fly installed into the foundation of the facility, and it was in the most mountainous region of Esthar, lying about 50 miles away from what was known as The Island Closest to Heaven.

Squall smiled a little at this question. "Well, Mr. Nitrous, you'll be taking the grandest piece of aerial transportation Esthar has to offer: the Ragnarok."

The headmaster's response garnered a fair amount of positive, and even shocked, feedback. The draconic spacecraft-turned-airship was the envy of the skies. It was a specimen of Esthar technology at its finest.

"Speaking of the Ragnarok," continued Squall, "we have selected which squad will be in charge of piloting it for the flight to Tears' Point." Every squad looked to every other one, wondering who would be put in charge of such an impressive airship. "Team Valiant, the honor is yours. Before any of you make remarks about that being the squad that my son leads, I assure you that had nothing to do with the decision, as I had nothing to do with it. It was the other members of the SeeD Council that decided it, not me."

Needless to say, regardless of Headmaster Leonhart's words, Team Chrome was fuming. All three members were cussing up a storm under their breath. Quistis then took a spot next to Squall. "Allow me to explain why Team Valiant was selected. Not only do they have the highest cooperative marks of any SeeD-bound squad, but Draco has the highest piloting rating of any student in Garden. We of the SeeD Council used these facts to select Team Valiant as the piloting squad for the trip to Tears' Point, but a squad of SeeDs will be in charge for the trip back."

Squall nodded in confirmation. "Thank you for that thorough explanation, Quistis. Now, yesterday, you were all issued uniforms that are meant for SeeD candidates to use during the Field Exam. I trust you're all wearing them. The reason for these new uniforms is due to the increased range of motion compared to the normal Garden uniforms." He glanced out to all of the candidates before him. "Now, then, all SeeD candidates, report to the Ragnarok. Team Valiant, report to the cockpit, and I'll relay the coordinates you need to get to Tears' Point from here."

In unison, all the candidates gave the traditional SeeD salute and called out, "Sir!"

When Team Storm and Team Valiant had to part ways, they gave their "good lucks" and "be carefuls," then went their separate ways. Team Valiant made their way to the cockpit of the Ragnarok, Draco taking the pilot's seat, while Yamina took the navigator's chair, and Spike taking his place opposite Yamina as the co-pilot.

Draco lightly ran his hands up and down the pilot's console. "Wow... I'm actually getting to fly the Ragnarok... This is gonna be so cool!"

"Settle down, Draco," warned Yamina. "We don't want the Ragnarok to crash because you're over-excited about finally getting to fly it. Just focus on the mission, okay?"

Squall's face and voice came up on the pilot's console in front of Draco. "Son, I need you to patch me through the ship's PA system. I have one little piece of information to give the candidates." Draco did as he was asked and Squall began to speak. "Attention, SeeD candidates, another announcement for you: while you're all out on a monster-killing spree, there will be a group of 12 SeeDs on the Ragnarok waiting for you. These SeeDs will not only be there to support you if you can't get the job done, they will also be there to monitor your progress. That is all."

_Wow... 12 SeeDs... That's a lot more than usual. Dad told me there were only 9 on his Exam Mission... This one must be a lot more dangerous than his was..._ Draco thought, his mind racing on what they were going to do when they reached Tears' Point.

"Alright, Draco," continued Squall, "I'm going to send you the coordinates, now. Make certain your navigator inputs them right. The image of Tears' Point from above should show up on the navigator's console." He sent the coordinates to Draco, who then relayed them to Yamina. "Is Tears' Point showing up?"

Yamina analyzed the picture. It was a circular structure with several large man-made monoliths. "This appears to be the place, sir. I'll guide Draco there to the best of my ability."

"Very good, Yamina. Well then, Ragnarok, you're ready for departure. Godspeed and good luck." With that, Squall's voice and face vanished.

"Ready to go, 'Captain?'" asked Spike, trying to sound as accurate as possible when it came to piloting.

Draco nodded. "Ragnarok, ready for take off!" he called over the PA. "Next stop: Tears' Point!" He flipped all of the necessary switches, input the needed commands, then threw the vertical thrusters. "Yamina, give me the best straight direction from here to get to our destination."

Yamina analyzed the map, then gave her best estimate. "It appears to be due west of here, Draco. Just as Nitrous said, it's clear across the continent."

"Given the average speed of the Ragnarok," said Draco, "ETA is 25 minutes." He switched to the main thrusters and flew along the path that Yamina had plotted.

"This is pretty cool!" said Spike. "Who would've thought we'd be the ones in command of the Ragnarok for this mission? We've sure come a long way since we first got to Garden, huh?"

Draco and Yamina both nodded in agreement. When they had first enrolled in classes, none of them had hardly any combat skills. Draco was slow and uncoordinated, Yamina was clumsy and couldn't keep hold of her weapons very well, and Spike was a disaster with para-magic. Since then, though, they had become the best in their fields. Draco became an expert strategist with lightning-fast reflexes, Yamina had cured her clumsiness for the most part and turned into a prodigious healer, and Spike had become the only spear-wielder that was even skilled enough for the Field Exam.

"Draco, we're here." Yamina said simply, causing Draco to immediately kill the main thrusters and put the verticals into action. They slowly lowered the Ragnarok to a stable position on the ground.

"Attention all Ragnarok passengers, we have arrived at our scheduled destination. Please watch your step when exiting the airship, and thank you for flying SeeD Airways." Draco let out a laugh after making that announcement, and it had also prompted laughs from the majority of the candidates on the ship.

Team Valiant then made their way to the cargo hold, where everyone was making their way out. They stood in a triangle formation, holding all of their weapons low and crossed with each other before they left the Ragnarok.

"Alright, guys, on 3..." said Draco. "1, 2, 3!"

"Valiant!" The 3 said in unison as they raised their weapons high, then charged out together into the monster horde.

Just moments into their charge, Team Valiant was stopped by a massive sword that was as wide as Spike was tall. They looked up to see what wielded it. It was an Iron Giant, one of the creatures they had been warned about.

"Oh, shit! Draco, any ideas?" said Spike, almost scared.

"Yeah. Battle Plan Gamma, 'Weaken and Wail!'" Draco cried.

The three took their positions for the battle formation. The Iron Giant made a move to swing its massive blade at the squad. On cue, they all jumped over the swing, aiming their hands toward the creature, all simultaneously launching Meltdowns at the Giant, seriously weakening its defenses. Then, as they landed, Spike readied Haste, and Yamina readied Aura, both targeted at Draco. He was poised to receive the positive effects of the two spells when they connected. He was faster and ready to use a technique he'd developed that was derived from his father's favorite combo.

"Ryu-Renzokuken!" Draco called, the Dragon Rose pointed towards the ground with its blade facing the sky. He dragged the blade along the ground as he charged the Giant, then struck it 8 times in succession, then leaped back to his position, readying the last part of the combo. "Dragon Divide!" He dragged the blade along the ground again, then leaped high in the air while slashing at the Giant with a huge upper slice, then slamming the blade back down through it. The Giant fell with a gigantic clang, its sword bouncing slightly as it contacted the ground.

"Alright! We actually took down an Iron Giant! How do we prove it, though?" Spike asked.

Draco knelt down by the sword and held out his hands, letting his energy flow through them. Within seconds, the sword was no larger than an average butter knife. He put the shrunken sword in Yamina's pack. "Easy. I'll shrink down stuff we find from the tougher monsters we take down. It's a spell that my mom developed to make things easier to carry. And yes, it does work in reverse, but only if it's used on something that's been shrunk."

Yamina and Spike stood in awe. "That's amazing, Draco!" Yamina said. "Why didn't you tell us you had spells like that?"

"Didn't really think it mattered until now."

Team Valiant continued their mission, slaughtering countless monsters as they charged deeper into Tears' Point. However, they were soon stopped by a challenging creature they didn't think they would have to contend with. A large reptilian monster with crimson scales, horns as black as midnight, and alabaster fangs thirsting for blood appeared: a Ruby Dragon.

Yamina and Spike stared in shock, while Draco was analyzing the situation quickly. _Ruby Dragons – fire experts and absorbers of flame and wind. Their weaknesses lie in the ice and holy elements, and they're susceptible to several status effects. Their breath weapon can cause severe damage, so we have to do what we can to avoid it._

With that thought, the dragon began charging its breath weapon, and all of Team Valiant caught it right away. "NOW!" called Draco, cuing the other two to jump above the dragon, narrowly avoiding the blast. "Battle Plan Theta: 'Seek and Destroy!'" Draco ordered, and Spike and Yamina nodded. They pointed their hands toward the dragon, launching several status magics at it: Blind, Slow, and Sleep from Yamina, Spike, and Draco respectively. After having afflicted the dragon with those effects, the three all landed on the ground to its sides and back, aiming another triple Meltdown at it, like they had with the Iron Giant before. After weakening it further, they took their positions in front of it.

"Alright, guys, time to use it..." Draco said.

"You sure, Draco? We've only done that move twice!" Yamina protested.

"We don't have a choice, Yamina. This thing's too powerful for Draco, or any of us, to nail alone."

"Alright, then. Let's do it, then."

"Delta Formation, GO!" Draco called. He planted the Dragon Rose's blade-tip into the ground at an angle, Spike doing the same with his Dusk Fang spear at the same angle opposite the Dragon Rose. Yamina then placed her Firebird Soul staff on top of the two weapons, forming an equilateral triangle. She used her magic to keep the 3 weapons in place as Draco and Spike took their places behind her, channeling their energy into the weapons.

"Dragon Delta!" they all cried, their energies creating a massive triangular beam of magic that hurtled toward the dragon at high speed. Lucky for Team Valiant, it was enough to do the trick. The dragon fell, slain. Draco then cut the head off of it to shrink as proof of its death by their hand. He also took the time to skin the dragon, then clean the hide with a Water spell. He shrunk the hide down, as well, and placed it and the head in Spike's pack.

"Attention all SeeD candidates: You are hereby ordered to withdraw!" They all could hear through their headsets that came with their uniforms.

"And the order to withdraw takes priority." stated Draco. He led Spike and Yamina back towards the Ragnarok, their pace quickening as they got closer to it. They had almost reached it when a massive monster blocked their path from out of nowhere. It looked to be made of bones from random creatures: an Abadon.

"Draco, do you know how to handle one of these, too?" asked a frightened Yamina.

"Yamina, get into my pack and grab me a vial with phoenix down in it. Trust me." Draco told her with confidence. She did as she was asked and handed the vial to Draco. He then threw it at the Abadon, causing the vial to shatter and expose the Abadon to the power of the phoenix feather. Rather than heal it, it was killing it. "See, Abadons, like this, are undead creatures. Use something that heals, and they'll go down without much of a fight." The creature then fell in a heap of bones in front of them, and Draco shrunk the skull down to take as proof. He handed it to Yamina and motioned her to put it in his pack. They then ran the rest of the way to the Ragnarok, just barely making it back on before it took off.

"You guys're lucky. We almost left without you." Instructor Kinneas said as Team Valiant knelt down, panting.

Draco looked up at the sound of Irvine's voice. "Instructor! I didn't realize you'd be one of the SeeDs assigned to watch us."

Irvine tipped his hat. "Yup. Squall asked me personally to be here. After all, I wanted to keep an eye on my little girl, too."

Almost on cue, Selphine came up behind Irvine and jumped on his back, wrapping her arms around his neck. "You worry about me too much, Pa. I know I'm all you and Ma have, but y'all know I can take care of myself." She then hopped off Irvine and went back where the rest of Team Storm was hanging out, beckoning Team Valiant over, as well.

The 3 all followed Selphine to the little corner where Team Storm was occupying. "So, how'd you guys do, Draco?" River asked.

Draco sat against the wall, holding his pack in front of him. "Wasn't our grand total around 36 monsters, by the time we got back, guys?"

Yamina was counting in her head. "Yeah, that sounds about right. Is that counting the 3 big ones? Or would those ones make 39?"

Spike nodded. "Yeah, those would make 39. You were just counting the small ones, Draco."

River's mouth was slack, his tongue nearly hanging out at the numbers. "39? Holy shit, guys! You're monster-killing machines! Hell, we only managed 18, overall. And what's this about big ones?"

Draco led them all into the storeroom. Once there, he, Spike, and Yamina pulled out their pieces of proof. Draco first un-shrunk the Iron Giant's sword to show them. River's eyes went wide, as did Selphine's and Samantha's.

"You guys seriously took down an Iron Giant? That's amazing!" River said in astonishment.

Draco then returned the sword to it's shrunken state and restored the Ruby Dragon head. It was Selphine's turn to be vocal about her amazement. "No way! That there's a Ruby Dragon's head! Y'all had to have been good to take one o' them down!"

Returning the head to its shrunken size, Draco then restored the Abadon skull, prompting the generally quiet Samantha to speak. "I'll be damned! That's an Abadon skull, guys! Those are the toughest of the tough, when it comes to undeads."

Draco then returned the skull to travel size and Team Valiant returned their prizes to their packs. "Yeah, and they weren't easy to take down either. Well, the Abadon was, but the other two were pains..."

The six friends all continued to talk about their battles and experiences during the mission the whole way home. When they arrived back at Esthar Garden, Squall was waiting for them all in the main hall.

"Welcome back, everyone. I'm glad to see none of you are seriously hurt. For those of you that are injured, please report to the infirmary as soon as possible. Now, the SeeD council is reviewing your performances in the Field Exam. You will know by the end of the day just who is SeeD material, and who needs more training." Squall walked away after his last announcement.

"Well, I guess we just kick back until the results are read, then." River stated bluntly.

"May as well hang out in the quad for a while, then," suggested Draco, which was met with unanimous agreement. So, the two squads made their way to the quad, eagerly awaiting the results of the Field Exam.


	4. Ch 4 The SeeD Inaugural Ball

**Chapter 4 – The SeeD Inaugural Ball**

As Teams Valiant and Storm were hanging out in the quad of Esthar Garden, another squad that normally kept to themselves decided to interact with the two teams of friends. The odd thing about this squad was the fact that they had a female leader, whereas most squads' leaders were male. She was fairly short, about Yamina's height, but her hair was long and blonde, and she carried a totally different kind of weapon: a pair of steel rods that bore inscribed symbols on them that no one from Storm or Valiant would recognize.

"Hey, I know you guys. Teams Valiant and Storm, right? My name's Kate Soulwolf, and these are my teammates, Tyzen Nova and Zeru Shade. We make up Team Youkai. Nice to finally meet you guys."

The other two members of Team Youkai were indeed intimidating. Tyzen Nova stood a little shorter than Spike, but his weapon made up for any physical shortcomings: a massive axe that stood about a half-foot taller than himself, the blade easily measuring 2 feet from the widest point of the blade to the shaft of the axe. Zeru Shade stood about as tall as Draco, but was skinny rather than muscular. His weapons of choice were a pair of black hand-claws, each with 4 blades, that extended about a foot past his knuckles.

Draco extended a hand to the leader, Kate, as he introduced himself and his team. "Nice to meet you, Kate. I'm Draco Leonhart, and I'm the leader of Team Valiant. These are my friends Yamina Phoenix and Spike Dragonas." The others also extended their hands in friendship. All three members of Team Youkai shook the hands of each of the members of Team Valiant.

River then stepped forward to introduce himself and his team. "Hey, there, Kate. I'm River Loire, the leader of Team Storm, and these are my teammates, Selphine Kinneas and Samantha Almasy." They all followed Team Valiant's example and extended their hands in friendship, which Team Youkai also accepted and shook, cementing the nine as friends.

"Well, now that we're properly introduced, why don't you tell us a little about yourselves?" asked Draco to Kate and the others.

Kate nodded. "Well, I was trained in the martial arts by my grandfather when I was very young, mostly in the art of eskrima. It's an ancient art that uses wooden sticks as its primary weapons, but since I knew wood wouldn't cut it for a SeeD, my grandfather gave me these, Inu and Okami. They're engraved with the symbols for dog and wolf." She pulled out her twin rods and twirled them in her hands a few times, then returned them to her belt.

"I was pretty well raised in Garden," replied Tyzen. "Battle's about all I know. Well, battle and music. Most people wouldn't expect a big guy like me to be a pianist."

"You have just earned my respect, Tyzen. It's always nice to meet a fellow music enthusiast," Draco interjected. Not many knew of Draco's musical ability, but it ran in his blood. His grandmother was the pianist and singer Julia Heartilly, who wrote the song "Eyes on Me," which happened to be one of his favorite songs.

"Cool. Glad someone shares my passion," Tyzen quipped.

"I'd prefer to keep my past to myself," said Zeru. "I don't even talk about it with these guys, and they're my closest friends."

Draco nodded. "Fair enough. I won't press the issue, then."

Just as they had all finally gotten acquainted, the announcement bell rang. Squall's voice came over the PA all throughout Esthar Garden. "Attention: Students that participated in the SeeD Selection Exam, please report to the main hall. I repeat: please report to the main hall. The results of the Field Exam will be announced."

The nine friends all strapped their weapons where they normally did and headed to the main hall. They remained silent the entire time, nervous about the results. When they reached the main hall, it seemed they were the last ones there. Quistis nodded when they arrived to show Squall that everyone was now there.

"Now, then," began Squall, "when Headmistress Trepe calls your name, please step forward."

Quistis produced a list that had the successful students' names written on it. She began.

"Almasy, Samantha." She stepped through the crowd to the front. "Dragonas, Spike." He followed close behind Sam. "Kinneas, Selphine." She was actually skipping through the crowd. "Leonhart, Draco." He slowly walked forward to join the others. "Loire, River." He jogged up behind his cousin, then took a place beside Selphine. "Nova, Tyzen." His frame and weapon caused the crowd of students to give him a lot of room as he moved slowly toward the group that had already been called. "Phoenix, Yamina." Shyly and cautiously, she walked forward through the crowd, then took a spot close behind Draco. "Shade, Zeru." The crowd meant nothing to him. He merely leaped over them all, landing gracefully beside Tyzen. "Soulwolf, Kate." She walked briskly through the crowd, taking her place next to her team.

Squall then continued. "These are this year's newest SeeDs. Let's give them a round of applause, shall we?" The students all did so, some reluctantly. "For those of you that didn't make it," he went on, "it only means that you don't have what it takes to become a SeeD, yet. Come next year, though, I'm certain I'll see many more of you up here. If your name wasn't called, you're dismissed." The throng of students all dispersed and gave mixed reactions to the results.

"The nine of you are to follow us to Headmaster Squall's office for the official inauguration." Quistis led the way, with Squall close behind. The nine friends all followed in single file, split up into their individual teams: Youkai at the front, Storm close behind, and Valiant bringing up the rear.

After a couple of minutes in an elevator, they all had arrived at Squall's office, which wasn't unlike Headmaster Cid's many years ago. It was a circular room with a single desk in the middle. For being the headmaster's desk, it was surprisingly clean. There existed only a few pieces of paperwork on it. Quistis took a spot next to that desk, while Squall stood in front of it, facing the new SeeDs, all of whom were standing in one long line, side-by-side, facing Squall.

"All of you have done extraordinarily well. You've really done Garden proud. The nine of you are the best that Garden has to offer, as far as rookies go. Never before has any student squad had the abilities that you all have." Squall faced the three that made up Team Youkai. "Team Youkai, the talented wallflowers of Garden. Even with the skills you three have, not many know of how impressive a squad you are. Kate Soulwolf, the mind behind the mask; Tyzen Nova, the crushing muscle; and Zeru Shade, the mysterious grappler. You three are amazing warriors, yet you don't really try to stand out. Perfect for reconnaissance." He then turned to Team Storm. "Team Storm, Garden's long-range gems. You all know what you're capable of with those weapons, and you take advantage of that. Given the opportunity, you all would be great snipers. River Loire, leader, comic relief, and smooth talker; Samantha Almasy, the calm one with a long fuse, but is a force to be reckoned with when angered; and Selphine Kinneas, the most cheerful gunfighter one could ever have the fortune to meet." He finally turned to Team Valiant. "Team Valiant, often referred to as the pride and joy of Garden, and your Exam results prove it. The report on your performance stated that you each managed to dispatch 12 monsters on your own, then 3 larger ones together, amounting to a grand total of 39 monsters. Even managing 18, like Team Storm, is an incredible feat in itself, and even Team Youkai's 24 is amazing, but 39, including 3 of the toughest creatures Tears' Point could throw at you, is astounding."

Kate interrupted for a moment. "You mind filling us in, sir? What monsters did they take on that were so tough?"

Squall smiled. "They managed to take down an Iron Giant, a Ruby Dragon, and an Abadon, and each was within the span of 5 minutes." Kate's jaw dropped at this revelation, Tyzen's and Zeru's soon doing the same.

Squall continued again. "Many of the students envy Team Valiant, and the reasons lie in the members of the squad. Draco Leonhart, my son, and an amazing tactician and polearm specialist; Yamina Phoenix, an astounding spell-caster and staff user; and Spike Dragonas, the only dragoon that's ever made it to the ranks of SeeD." He then centered his gaze so he could take in all nine warriors. "You are all incredible students, and even more tremendous warriors. As of this moment, I now dub you all members of SeeD, Garden's elite mercenary force. Also, the nine of you will all be a single squad, as a SeeD squad generally consists of 6 to 12 members. It will be up to the nine of you to come up with a name for the squad."

With that statement, the three squads all circled up and discussed, inaudible to those around them. When finished, Draco announced what the squad would be. "Sir, we've decided on 'Team Mythos' as our squad name."

Squall smiled again. "A fitting name for such a squad. Very well, Team Mythos, welcome to the ranks of SeeD."

Quistis finally decided to chime in. "Now, you all remember that the SeeD Inaugural Ball is tonight. Ladies, find your finest dresses. And gentlemen, put on your new SeeD dress uniforms. We want you all looking your best for tonight."

Squall nodded. "Indeed, we do. Dismissed." The new SeeDs all departed from Squall's office, each with a smile on their faces.

As they all made it downstairs, an unusual event for any of them occurred. They began trying to set up who would go with who. Zeru had already decided to go on his own, but the others were all nervously trying to figure things out.

River finally broke the ice. "So, Selphine, wanna go with me?"

Selphine's face lit up at those words, and she hugged River tight. "I thought you'd never ask! You're damn right, I'll go with ya, hun!"

Spike tried it, too. "Hey, Samantha, would you give me a shot?"

She gave a warm smile, which was uncommon for her. "Sure, Spike. You're a nice enough guy, after all."

It was Tyzen's turn, now. "You up to it, Kate?"

She nodded quickly. "Yeah! Let's go!" Her green eyes shined when Tyzen asked.

Draco finally managed it. "Uh, Yamina, I was... wondering if you'd... wanna go to the ball with me..." His face turned scarlet.

Yamina's face completely matched Draco's, despite her dark complexion. "Yeah. Yeah, of course I'll go with you."

They all went their separate ways to prepare for the coming ball. Draco and Spike went to the dorm that they shared for the last time, since they would soon be moving to single dorms.

As they were getting changed into their new uniforms, Spike decided to strike up a conversation with his best friend and roommate. "So, you finally managed to ask her something that didn't involve battle. You're makin' progress, buddy." He playfully punched Draco in the shoulder.

Draco started to turn red. "Hey, knock it off, Spike. You know how hard it is for me to tell her how I really feel? I've been in love with her for as long as I can remember, but I can't bring myself to tell her..."

Spike put an arm around Draco's shoulder. "Don't worry, bud. When the time's right, I know you'll finally be able to get it out." Draco nodded slowly.

In the dorm that Yamina and Selphine shared, Selphine figured it would be good to try to get to know Yamina a little better, since they didn't really talk much. "So, ya really like him, don't ya?"

Yamina's face turned deep crimson. "L-like who?"

Selphine wrapped an arm around Yamina's neck. "Who else would I be talkin' 'bout, hun? I mean Draco, o' course!"

Yamina looked back to her clothes to see what she should wear. "Is it that obvious?"

Selphine giggled, not unlike her mother in her youth. "Oh, yeah, hun. Wouldn't be clearer if we could see into that bleedin' heart o' yours."

Yamina sighed audibly. "I love him, Selphine. I really do. It's just close to impossible for me to tell him. I'm afraid of how he might react."

Selphine nodded and hugged Yamina as a friend would. "Trust me, hun, I know just how ya feel. I feel that way about River, too, but I'm gonna take the chance and tell 'im tonight how I feel, and then pray that he feels the same."

Yamina turned bright red again. "Y-you think I should do that, too?"

Selphine giggled and hugged her. "O' course! Nothin' to lose, right? 'Sides, I was watchin' Draco when he asked ya. He's totally into you! He was blushin' about as much as you are now!"

Yamina only blushed more. "A-are you sure, Selphine?"

"I'm absolutely positive, hun. Trust me, I been flirtin' with guys since I hit puberty, and I know when they're head-over-heels for a gal. From what I been seein' with Draco, his heart's set on you, too."

Yamina nodded slowly. "I hope you're right, Selphine."

_That night, just before the ball..._

Draco had finally gotten everything on his new uniform to be just right before he and River walked up to Yamina and Selphine's dorm room. River knocked rhythmically on the door. Selphine answered the door, wearing a dress reminiscent of Belle's from _Beauty and the Beast_. River was absolutely flabbergasted.

"Holy damn, Selphine! You look gorgeous!" exclaimed River. Selphine also had her hair down, which was rare for her. More often than not, it was pulled into a ponytail, like her father's.

"Thanks, hun. Thought you'd like it." Selphine giggled, then turned around. "Hey, Yamina, our princes have arrived!"

Yamina nervously stepped out of her bedroom, her flowing scarlet dress hugging every single curve on her upper body. The dress itself remained loose around her legs. Draco couldn't take his eyes off her.

"Wow... Yamina, you... You look... divine..." Draco's face turned a darker shade of crimson.

It was Yamina's turn to blush, her face nearly matching her dress. "Y-you look pretty... handsome, yourself... Draco..."

Selphine then clapped her hands to snap Yamina and Draco out of their mutual trances. "Alright, y'all, we got a party to get to, so let's start gettin'!"

River offered Selphine his arm, Draco doing the same for Yamina. The girls accepted their dates arms and held close to them as they made their way to the modified cafeteria for the ball. Spike, Samantha, Tyzen, and Kate were all close behind. Kate wore a solid black dress, but it had a certain shimmer to it that could be likened to silk or satin, and it also held close to her body. Samantha's dress was a dark blue, with elbow-length gloves to match, and it also showed off her curves very nicely.

When the four couples entered the room, everybody's heads turned. Zeru was already there, since he was going to be there alone. "Well, about time you guys showed up. I was starting to wonder if you all were gonna lose your nerve."

Kate giggled. "You worry too much, Zeru. Just take some time to enjoy yourself while you're here. You don't do that enough, you know."

As the new SeeDs arrived on the dance floor, Squall had the Garden orchestra begin playing the song that he heard as a new SeeD: "Waltz for the Moon." If not for the fact that all SeeDs were now required to take dance classes, Draco would've likely fallen on his face when the dance started. He and Yamina followed each other's movements perfectly, Draco's sense of rhythm helping Yamina keep time for the dance. The other three SeeD couples were dancing very well, also, but most eyes were on Draco and Yamina, likely due to Draco being the headmaster's son, as well as the striking color of Yamina's dress.

When the dance had ended, and the music died down, Draco and Yamina found a private area on a balcony to get away from the crowd. Draco's eyes looked to the moon, while Yamina's were placed squarely on him.

"It's a beautiful night, you know," Draco stated, his long hair being blown lightly by the slight breeze.

"It is," Yamina agreed. Unknown to them, Selphine and River were watching them to see if things turned out as good as they had for them.

"They couldn't have picked a nicer night," Draco said, still looking to the moon.

_It's now or never..._ Yamina thought as she moved closer to Draco.

"There's something I've been meaning to tell you," they both said in unison, causing them to laugh and blush profusely.

"You first, Yamina."

"Um..." She hesitated, then let her heart take over. "Well, you know, ever since we got put together as a squad, I've been watching you, studying you even, to see what I could learn about you. I don't know what it was, but something just took hold of me when I first saw you. I'm beginning to think it may be your eyes that caught me at first..."

Draco interrupted. "I know exactly what you mean, Yamina. It's been the same for me. When I first saw you, I was completely enthralled by your beauty. It was then that I knew you had to be in my squad, and not just because of what you could do, but also because I felt something when I looked at you. Something I'd never felt before..."

Yamina moved closer. So did Draco. Finally, when their noses touched, they whispered.

"Yamina..."

"Draco..."

"I love you." Those three words passed both of their lips at the same time, triggering a first for them both: their first kiss. Draco held Yamina tightly in his arms as he leaned down slightly to lock his lips to hers, causing her to shiver with surprise and delight. She eagerly returned the kiss, wrapping her arms around him, as well.

Spike showed up behind Selphine as she was watching. He whispered. "I see it went well."

"Damn right it did, hun. All it took was a little pushin' in the right direction."

"'Bout damn time, if you ask me."

"What about you and Sam?"

"Still workin' on it. She's a tough one to crack."

Without warning, a T-Rexaur happened to break into the ballroom, making the crowd scatter. Team Youkai was the first to act.

"Time to show everyone what we're capable of, guys!" yelled Kate, her rods at the ready.

"You got it, babe," said Tyzen, who quickly appeared at her side, his axe already in hand.

"Let's do this," Zeru quipped confidently.

The three of them all began by casting Aura on themselves, as well as Haste. They put themselves in a triangular pattern.

"Alright, Youkai Formation Phi Ichi!" Kate yelled, the guys knowing exactly what to do. Kate maintained her position in front of the prehistoric beast, Tyzen and Zeru on either side of its tail. "Do it!" she called.

Tyzen took a large leap, then somersaulted once with his axe in hand. "Gorge Buster!" He drove the axe into the creature's tail, chopping about half of it off. The T-Rexaur roared with rage and pain, now charging Kate in its blind rage. It chomped down just in front of Kate.

Zeru had jumped onto the dinosaur's back, his claws poised for action. "100 Stingers!" He plunged his claws into the monster's hide 25 times, allowing for a grand total of 100 claws to find their way into its back.

Kate's rods blazed as the creature stopped. "Lupine Blaze!" She held one rod in front and one in back, then jumped high enough to be eye level with the beast. She flipped multiple times on the way down, nailing the monster two times with every flip. Amazingly, it was still standing.

"I got this, guys." Draco had arrived with the Dragon Rose in hand, along with having been enhanced by the Aura spell. He charged the beast and leaped above it. "Ryu-Renzokuken!" He struck the T-Rexaur eight times in succession. While it was still reeling, he raised the Dragon Rose high in the air, a blade of pure energy rising from the tip. It reached the ceiling at its peak. "Zenith Blast!" Draco swung the blade down quickly, causing the energy blade to slice right through the beast, the subsequent blast vaporizing it from existence, leaving no trace.

The crowd roared in excitement at the spectacle. Kate, who had originally tried to fell the dino, came up and patted Draco on the shoulder. "Not bad. Hell of a blade you've got there."

"Thanks," he replied. "Just what I was raised to do in a situation like that."

Squall appeared again and quieted the crowd. "Well done, new SeeDs. That was a performance worthy of SeeD-ship. Team Youkai, your unorthodox style nearly brought the beast down, and Draco, you did an excellent job of finishing it." He then turned to Rinoa. "Rinoa, dear, could you take care of this damage?"

She nodded and closed her eyes, her hands held out in front of her. Using her powers as a Sorceress, she reversed all of the damage caused by the mighty dinosaur's rampage.

"Thank you, dear," said Squall. "Now, we will investigate how this happened later on. For now, let the ball continue.

When the ball ended, the new SeeDs walked their dates to their new single dorms, since their belongings would have been moved during the course of the ball.

Draco stopped with Yamina at her door. "I'm glad you told me how you felt, Yamina. I don't think I would've had the courage to do it if-"

She interrupted him with a passionate kiss on the lips. Afterward, she looked deep into his eyes. "Don't worry about it, Draco. All that matters is that we both now know the truth about each other's feelings."

"Right." He nodded, then kissed her softly. "Good night, Yamina."

"Good night, Draco." she replied. "I love you."

"I love you, too." As he said those words, Yamina headed into her new single dorm, leaving Draco to go back to his dorm. It was currently full of boxes that needed unpacked, but he was too tired to do so. Instead, he flopped back on his bed, going to sleep almost immediately, hoping to dream of his beloved Yamina.


	5. Ch 5 Team Mythos' First Mission

**Chapter 5 – Team Mythos' First Mission**

It had been 3 days since Team Mythos had been formed and put to the test at the SeeD Inaugural Ball. The nine of them had been nothing but bored, since all they could do is train. Draco took pride in his training, which he had been doing against every other member of his team, but even he was starting to become restless.

"Seems like there's hardly anyone that really needs SeeD for anything, huh?" Draco stated bluntly.

"Don't worry, Draco. I'm sure someone will hire us for a mission, soon," Yamina said softly, trying to comfort her boyfriend. She softly kissed his cheek.

Draco nodded. "I hope you're right, babe, 'cause other than the money we were given when the team was formed, we're broke."

Kate decided to speak up. "There aren't any people looking for exterminators? That's unusual. Monsters have been showing up like crazy, lately."

"That's true," agreed Spike, "but a lot of places have been forming local militias that are specially trained to take down local monster species, making us a little more than just an added expense for them."

All nine of them sighed audibly. There really seemed to be nothing to do. Even training was getting boring for them. Just when they were about to get up to find something to do, Headmaster Squall's voice came over the PA.

"Team Mythos, please report to my office immediately. I repeat; Team Mythos, please report to my office immediately."

The group literally jumped to their feet. Draco led the pack to his father's office, eager to do whatever mission his father gave them.

Within 5 minutes, Team Mythos was in Squall's office. He was a little shocked that they'd arrived so quickly. "Well, you all didn't waste any time. I finally have for you your first mission." The eyes of the entire team lit up, fires igniting in all of their eyes. Squall continued. "Now, we've been hired by the nation of Timber to round up some rogue soldiers. A small battalion of former Galbadian soldiers is terrorizing the city, likely due to hard feelings about Timber finally regaining independence. Your mission is to capture these rogues, then bring them back here for questioning. Do you all believe you are capable of this mission as it has been assigned?" The group all nodded formally. "Alright, then. You leave tomorrow at 0900. Use today to prepare. I'm counting on you all." Squall saluted the team as they all returned it.

As the nine made their way back to the ground floor, Draco was going over the best plans to capture the soldiers. "Alright, if I've learned anything from Dad about Galbadian soldiers, it's that they don't protect themselves against status attacks very well. So, with that being said, what are some possible status effects we could use to incapacitate them long enough for capture?"

Spike was the first to speak up, since his specialties in battle included status tactics. "Well, the most effective incapacitating status magics are Stop, Sleep, Break, and Death, but since we don't want to kill them, we're left with Stop, Sleep, and Break."

The normally quiet Zeru spoke up, now. "We'll want to use Break. Stop and Sleep wear off too quickly to be usable as capture methods. Afterward, we can Float their petrified selves back to the Ragnarok, and they should stay the way we make them until we get back."

River nodded in agreement. "Zeru's right. Break is the most effective status spell here. We're gonna have to stock up on 'em before we go. I think there's a Break draw point here in the Garden."

Selphine motioned in the direction of the draw point. "It is. I've used it several times. C'mon, y'all, I'll show ya where it's at. Best part is that you can draw from it as much as you want, even stockin' as many of the spell as you want!"

"Then lead the way, Selphine. We'll follow you, this time." Draco turned to the others. "Alright, we follow Selphine to the draw point!" With that, they all ran with Selphine to the draw point.

_Meanwhile, miles away in the distant future..._

"How did it go, Miss? Will they serve you?"

"Well, with a body like mine, there's no way a soldier could resist me, especially ones as impressionable as them. They should already be in the process of invading Timber... Is the ritual still going as planned?"

"Yes, Miss. It will still take a good amount of time, but all is going according to plan."

"Excellent. Make certain that every cult member is doing their part in this." _They all believe we're resurrecting her... If they only knew..._

_Present day..._

After having stocked as much of the Break spell as possible, the nine all went their separate ways, knowing they'd have to meet up in the morning. Draco and Yamina went to the cafeteria to snag something for dinner.

"What're you in the mood for, Yamina? They have a lot of dinner options, now."

"Let's go for some pasta. Gotta be whole wheat pasta, though. We gotta be double sure to eat healthy, now that we're SeeDs."

Draco chuckled a little. "Alright, babe. I get it." He led Yamina up to the cafeteria counter. "Could we get 2 plates of whole wheat fettuccine alfredo, please?"

"You got it." The cafeteria lady plated two fancy plates of pasta for them and placed them on the counter. "Glad to see you eatin' healthy, Draco. Your mother would be proud."

"Yeah, yeah..." They both went and sat in the furthest corner of the cafeteria from the door and started eating. Draco spoke up after a couple minutes of silent eating. "So, you nervous about our first mission?"

Yamina nodded. "Yeah. It doesn't help that our first mission is in Timber. I haven't been back there since my parents died."

"Oh, yeah. I forgot that you were born in Timber. Well, then you can think of it as helping your nation keep its independence." Draco put his hand on Yamina's, trying to comfort her.

"I suppose you're right. Thanks, Draco." Yamina leaned across the table and kissed Draco softly, and when she sat down, her dark eyes were shining like freshly-polished onyx.

"Let's finish up with dinner and head on back to the dorms. We've got a long day ahead of us tomorrow."

"Yeah." Yamina agreed, but then started blushing bright enough that it was visible through her dark skin. "Um... Could I possibly stay with you tonight? I think it might calm my nerves if you're at my side when I wake up."

Draco thought about it for a moment. "Well, Garden rules only forbid it if either party is younger than 18, and we both passed that age a while ago, so I guess that'd be alright. You might wanna find some way to let Headmistress Trepe know, though, since I know you're normal dorm is in Galbadia Garden."

"Already on it." quipped Yamina. "I'm emailing her, now. That way, she'll know that my room is to be unoccupied tonight." Her hand was moving quickly on her watch computer, sending the email to Quistis. When she was finished, she went right back to eating.

When the two finished with dinner, they headed straight for Draco's dorm. Draco felt fortunate that these dorms had their own bathrooms, since that gave both Yamina and himself private places to change clothes.

"You go ahead and change in there, Yamina. I'll just change here in my room." Yamina nodded and went into Draco's private bathroom, ready to teleport a change of clothes for bed. Draco, meanwhile, quickly got out of his street clothes, which consisted of a black tanktop, camouflage cargo pants, and blue and black sandals. He exchanged those with a pair of baggy blue shorts, opting not to wear a shirt to bed. When Yamina was finished, she emerged from the bathroom wearing a red spaghetti-strap nightgown, but no pants, just a pair of black lacy panties.

"Is this... too much?" Yamina asked nervously. She didn't normally show too much skin, but figured it wouldn't be a problem around Draco.

"No, no, that's fine, babe." He wasn't going to admit it, but his heart was racing madly at the sight of his beloved Yamina in almost nothing. _Just gotta remember that she's only sleeping over. I don't wanna go too far, yet..._

The two of them climbed into Draco's bed, both wanting to get an early start in the morning to be ready for their first mission as SeeDs. With a long, slow kiss, Draco and Yamina wrapped their arms around each other and slept peacefully the entire night.

The next morning, all nine members of Team Mythos were up at 0700, and it was obvious that Draco and Yamina weren't the only ones that had spent the night together. River and Selphine had the definite appearance of a wild night before, as did Samantha and Spike. Kate and Tyzen opted to spend the night apart, since they didn't want to be tempted to do anything too risque. It wasn't so obvious that Draco and Yamina were together the night before. Though their faces were red, they weren't near like their friends.

"Damn, Spike, you look like an absolute wreck! Are you alright?" asked Draco.

"I'm absolutely peachy, thank you. What about you, River? You don't look any better than me."

River responded by brushing his hair back, making it look fairly presentable. "Well, at least I clean up better, bud."

Yamina, though quietly, interjected. "Hey, shouldn't we all be getting ready to go? I know we've got 2 hours until the Ragnarok takes off, but we should all be at our best when that time comes."

The entire team nodded in agreement and went back to wherever they were the night before to get ready for the coming mission. They then all congregated in the Esthar Garden cafeteria for a quick breakfast. At the request of Yamina and Kate, they all had a healthy breakfast of raisin bran and orange juice.

"Alright, so we have things figured out for the mission itself," Draco stated. "Now, we have to start with a reconnaissance approach. If we go into town with our weapons in hand, it'll be obvious what we're there for, and we don't want those soldiers gettin' wise to us."

"In that case," replied Zeru, "we need to reach Timber in smaller groups. Since we just happen to have 4 sets of couples in the squad, the couples can be together, and I'll stick with Kate and Tyzen, acting as a third wheel."

"Good plan, Zeru!" Selphine exclaimed. "Now, I also think we oughta contact Headmistress Trepe and ask her if we can keep our stuff at Galbadia Garden, 'til we need it. That way, we can walk into Timber without risk of gettin' caught."

Spike also chimed in with his own contribution to the plan. "Also, when we do have our weapons to work with, we need to be certain that we have the ability to use those status effects efficiently. That being said, we need to add Break to our weapons."

Draco nodded. "You all have an excellent grasp of what needs done, and that's exactly what we'll do. Does everyone understand the plan as Zeru, Selphine, and Spike have explained?" They all nodded in understanding. "Alright, then. Let's get this done. I don't know how long it'll take, but we've been given 3 days to do this mission. Let's show 'em that we can do it in 2 or less!"

With those words, Team Mythos rushed to the Ragnarok hangar. Not surprisingly, Squall was waiting there for them. "Good to see you're all raring to go. I take it you all have a plan in place for this mission?"

"We do, sir," Draco replied. "We've already figured we're going to need a little assistance from Galbadia Garden, and Yamina has already contacted Headmistress Trepe with the details. Fortunately, it won't require additional manpower."

"That's good to hear, Draco. Well, then, I won't delay you any further. You have your plans for this mission, so I'll let you carry them out. Team Mythos, your mission begins…" Squall waited until his watch showed 0900. "…now!"

Team Mythos quickly boarded the Ragnarok. Draco, Yamina, and Spike all took their places at the helm of the ship. "If I'm not mistaken, Galbadia Garden's location is already programmed into the ship's navigation system, isn't it?" Draco asked.

"Yeah," answered Yamina. "Loading the coordinates, now." When the image of Galbadia Garden came up on Yamina's navigation screen, she gave Draco the information he needed. "Alright. Galbadia Garden would be easiest to reach by heading east. Using that trajectory, ETA is 1½ hours."

"Alright, then. I'll get the ship to the required altitude, then I'll put 'er in auto-pilot." Draco did as he said he would and turned to face the team. "Well, guys, I hope you're all ready. Once we get to Galbadia Garden, the mission _really_ begins."

The remainder of the flight was fairly silent, despite the ship being on auto-pilot. Most of the team was trying their best to keep focused on the mission at hand. Despite her efforts, it was difficult for Yamina to do so. Her mind was on the fact that this mission was occurring where she had once lived, and her parents had died. _This isn't gonna be easy for me… I haven't been back to Timber since I was a kid, and my presence there might jeopardize the mission, especially if someone that knew me happens to recognize me._

Within the hour-and-a-half that was predicted, the Ragnarok landed just outside Galbadia Garden. Team Mythos all entered the Garden in a single-file line with Draco at the head. Quistis greeted them at the front with a smile. "Team Mythos, I've been expecting you. Since I'm aware you're mission is time-sensitive, I won't keep you any longer than necessary. You all asked if it would be possible to store your weapons here, correct?" Draco nodded in confirmation. "Very well. We will open our mission storage locker for you. I will also program the locker's access code into your wrist units." Using her own wrist unit, Quistis synchronized the others' with hers, giving them all the access codes at once. "There. Now you should all have the code you need to access your weapons whenever you should need them."

"Thanks, Headmistress," said Draco. "This will definitely make our mission a lot easier to pull off. We greatly appreciate the assistance."

After the team had put their weapons in the storage locker, it was time to make their way to Timber. Though the trek took a few hours for each team, all 4 groups made it into town within 45 minutes of each other. Each had checked into the Timber Hotel under aliases, and when they explained to the hotel manager why, she cooperated fully. Draco decided to see what information he could gather from the hotel manager while the others rested from their long trek.

"So, can you tell me anything about where these rogue soldiers usually congregate?"

The young woman, who had been forced to give the soldiers rooms, told Draco everything she knew about them. "Of course. The vast majority of them hang out near the Aphrora Pub. It seems that the platoon leader has a tendency to drink heavily after a day of tormenting…"

"Somehow, I'm not surprised. Thanks for the info. We'll do what we can to get these barbarians out of town in the next couple days."

After a couple hours of resting, the team completely split up around the city to keep from looking too suspicious. They all kept in contact with their wrist units, though, as they also had wireless headsets they could listen with, but still speak into the wrist units. Kate was the first to come across a group of the rogue soldiers.

"So, what's the commander's plan for today?"

"Nothing unusual, but I hear some suspicious characters walked into town today. We may wanna keep an eye out for 'em."

"I heard they checked into the hotel, so they're probably not staying long, anyway. They could just be stopping here on their way to Balamb."

"You might be right, Private. However, there's just as much chance that you're wrong. That means we can't take any chances. Am I making myself clear?"

Kate backed into the shadows. _Well, at least I found some. I'm gonna need to let Draco and the others know. _She whispered softly into the wrist unit. "I found a group of 'em, guys. 3 of 'em. Draco, request permission to engage."

"Affirmative, Kate. Make certain they can't call on their friends for help, though. You know what that means."

Kate made her way to the roof of the _Timber Maniacs_ building, then quickly cast Silence on the group of soldiers below. She then used the code to the mission locker to retrieve her escrima rods, Inu and Okami. She dove down from the roof, her rods sprouting blue blades of energy from the ends. "Canine Carnage!" She swiftly drove the energy blades into each of the soldiers legs, and with the help of the infusion of the Break spell, they all turned to stone. "Targets incapacitated. Proceeding with concealing the scene."

"Well done, Kate. Return to the hotel and await further instruction."

Yamina ran into the next group, and it was ironically right in front of her old house. She decided it would be somewhat sneaky if she asked the soldiers if she could tour her old house again, then spawn her weapon and silence them all. _Here goes nothing…_

"Excuse me," Yamina said. "Would it be possible for me to go into this house? See, I used to live here a long time ago, and I've always wanted to come back and see if anything's changed."

Lucky for her, these soldiers seemed to have kinder hearts than expected. "Well, I don't see why not. Nostalgia can sometimes be a good thing."

"Thanks, guys! That means a lot!" She quickly ran into the house and started looking around. Nothing had changed. Everything was still where it was when she had left as a child. The only change was the layer of dust that covered most everything. She then made her way up to where the bedrooms of the plaid-wallpapered house were. She immediately went to her old room, and saw that nothing had been moved. Even the blanket she'd thrown to the floor after waking up that morning was still there, just a lot dustier than when she left. She then found her old stuffed moogle, Hikari. It was her closest friend as a child, and she had wanted it so badly when she finally made her way to Galbadia Garden, but she knew it was too dangerous to return for. She finally decided to take it with her, placing it in her empty mission pack. She even found a necklace that her mother had given her just before she died: a golden chocobo with a sapphire inlaid where the eye should be. She put it on, then looked out the window at the waiting guards.

"Found a few more. Should I get 'em, Draco?"

"Go for it, babe. Just be careful."

She soon had her Firebird Soul staff in hand, and she was already casting Silence on the soldiers below when it spawned to her hand. She opened her bedroom window, then jumped with her staff blazing. "Phoenix Rush!" Few had ever seen her move as fast as she did during the Phoenix Rush. In what appeared to be one jab to each of the soldiers' chests, it was actually three. Much as their comrades at Kate's hands, these ones all became statues, as well.

"Got 'em, guys. Hiding them in my old house, as we speak."

"Good work, Yamina. Return to the hotel, and we'll all meet up there later."

River was the next to encounter soldiers. _Damn… If these guys are anywhere near as good as Grandpa, I'm in serious shit… But, no one's as good as Grandpa, so these guys are toast!_ Where he used a long-range rapid-fire weapon, he had no need to wait and use Silence. He merely spawned Hailstorm from the mission locker, then opened fire on the three waiting soldiers from behind a storage crate. He was fortunate none of them had seen him before he started shooting. He nailed all of them in their knees, and the resulting impacts petrified them like the others.

"Sorry, Draco, but I didn't have time to request permission to engage. I had to take my shots."

"Understood. Conceal the scene, then return to our current base."

Selphine also encountered a few soldiers around the same time, but she was having trouble making her move without blowing their cover. They had all approached her with ill intentions glinting in their eyes. "So, sweetheart, you want a good time?"

She decided to play along and lead them on a little. "Sure thing, hun. You're just gonna need to take off them helmets. Can't really have much fun with them things on, can ya?" _I get rid of their only link with their buddies, and they're cold as Daddy's whiskey on the rocks!_

They complied with her request and took their helmets off. She led them into a dark alley. Here, she seemingly disappeared, confusing her pursuers. Then, she fired off 3 shots into their left shoulders, and they became the cold stone statues that she wanted to make them.

"Got a few more, Draco. They're all hidden in an alleyway. Should I head on back?"

"Yeah. Go ahead and join up with the others at the hotel. We'll all end up meeting there later."

Spike and Samantha ended up meeting up in the city, getting cornered by a group of rather heavily built soldiers. Even as tall as Spike was, these soldiers were nearly as tall as he was. They were just looking to torment the "tourists."

"Alright, so which of you is gonna fork over the money you have left from the hotel stay? We don't like it when outsiders take up room in our hotel." The six soldiers encircled Spike and Sam.

"Looks like we have to, Sam…" Spike whispered.

"Yeah. Draco's not gonna be happy, though."

"Can't be helped. He'll understand."

The two spawned their prized weapons. Spike took his Dusk Fang spear in hand, while Sam's father's Hyperion phased into hers. The two of them quickly swept their weapons at their attackers' feet, slicing at their ankles. Afterward, 6 perfect statues stood before them.

"Sam and I got a bunch more, Draco. If my calculations are right, that should leave 9 soldiers left in town."

"Alright. Both of you, head back to the hotel and wait for the rest of us."

Tyzen was having a little trouble finding the rogues, but he wasn't giving up. He eventually found a group of soldiers that appeared a bit drunk. They were all slurring their words a bit, and they looked a little tipsy.

"Ya know, guys, [hic] I saw summa the newbies that came into town… Anyone else find the girls that came in [hic] hot?"

"I wuz kinda partial to that darker gal… Didja see the curves on 'er?"

"Oh, c'mon… That long-haired gal was the best lookin'one. Nice rack on 'er, too."

"No [hic] way! That blonde one had it! She was-"

Tyzen didn't even let the guy finish before he went in and whacked him with the flat part of the axe blade. The other two soon received the same treatment. It took everything Tyzen had to keep from splitting the petrified soldiers in two, but he had to refrain for the sake of the mission.

"Three more soldiers down, Draco. I'm hiding them, now."

"Good work, Tyzen. Return to the hotel when you're finished."

Zeru was on patrol near the _Timber Maniacs_ building, which had become a historical site in Timber. He was on the roof, waiting to see if any of the soldiers would show up. Sure enough, a small squad of 3 came to the door of the building.

"Say, should we burn this place to the ground? It doesn't serve any importance to us, but it does for the people here."

"I don't see why not. Any of us know how to use Fire?"

Zeru quickly used Silence and Blind on the bunch, preventing any of them from seeing what they were doing, or telling the others what needed to be done. This also prevented any of them from using their magic. He gracefully leaped down from the roof and slashed his claws at them, petrifying them on the spot.

"Zeru to Draco. Got three more. The rest are yours to deal with."

"Thanks, Zeru. Odds are the leader will show up at the pub, soon, so I'll remain here. Join the others at the hotel and await further orders."

As Zeru had said, the other soldiers were Draco's responsibility. He sat at the bar in the Aphrora Pub, drinking a concoction he had told the bartender of consisting of spiced and coconut rums, pineapple juice, and grenadine: what he called a Dragon's Blood Special. If the drinking age in Timber wasn't a minimum of 18, Draco would be in trouble when they returned home.

"So, just waitin' on the platoon leader, huh?" asked the aging barkeep.

"Yeah. When they get here, though, I'm gonna need your help to draw them outside. I'm gonna act completely drunk and pick a fight, then you'll tell us to take it outside, and that's when I'll proceed to detain them."

"Alright, then, but be careful, friend."

Within minutes, as evening began to fall, the leader and his two flunkies approached the pub. Draco noticed them from several yards away. "Alright, here they come. Remember the plan..." Immediately, Draco put on the drunk act. He'd played a drunk in theatre classes before, so this was nothing new. He even surprised the barkeep with his acting.

When the soldiers appeared in the pub, they certainly made their presence known with their laughter. The leader made a bold statement among such a crowd. "Well, I'd say that was a productive day of terrorizing! What about you boys?"

"Yes, sir!" they both called in unison.

Draco finally chimed in in a severely drunken tone. "You call yourthelveth tholdierth? (hic) You're nothin' but cowardth! Tholdierth are (hic) thuppothed to protect, not frighten. (hic)"

"Are you tryin' to tell me how to do my job, you drunkard?" asked an angered Captain.

"Maybe I am... Wanna do thomethin' about it?"

"Maybe I do, you inebriated punk!"

"Hey, hey, fellas, if you're gonna start somethin', take it outside, please! I don't want nothin' happenin' to my pub, y'hear?"

"Y'know, guyth, (hic) the ol' man'th abtholutely right. Leth take thith outthide." Draco led the way in his pseudo-drunken state, the 3 soldiers soon following. Unknown to them, Draco was entering the code to retrieve his weapon from the mission locker as he walked. By the time he had reached where they were going to have it out, the Dragon Rose had materialized in his hand.

"Heh. Even got yourself a fancy new weapon, huh? It doesn't matter. We're still gonna kick your drunken ass right outta town!"

The two soldier flunkies charged Draco, first, their swords drawn. Draco had practiced in fighting styles that resembled altered states, though, so it was no challenge for him. When the soldiers were close, he bent backwards, actually keeping himself up by the strength in his back. At the same time, he slashed behind him and nicked the soldiers' ankles, causing them to freeze and turn rock-solid.

"Who the hell are you, punk?" asked a worried Captain.

Draco finally broke his drunk act and went into his usual fighting stance. "Just a man on a mission, and you're the last objective." He charged at the soldier, this time, a hand out casting Protect. When he was finished, the soldier had just started to fire his arm-mounted machine gun. Due to Protect, the bullets just bounced off, but Draco still felt the pain from the impacts. He was almost close enough to slash when the soldier ducked and caused Draco to slice over him, but this turned out to be a mistake. Draco spun around and caught the Captain in the back of the leg with the tip of the Dragon Rose's blade, turning him to cold stone. "Alright, everyone, the last ones are taken care of. Mission complete. Rendezvous at the Aphrora Pub. I'll be waiting there."

With the order to regroup, the other 8 members of Team Mythos made their way to the Aphrora Pub, looking forward to being done with their first mission.


	6. Ch6 Interruptions & Interrogations Pt I

**Chapter 6 – Interruptions and Interrogations Pt. 1**

When the entire team had made it to the Aphrora Pub, they started celebrating, as did the pub patrons. The soldiers were all finally taken care of, which meant their reign of terror was over.

River raised his glass of wine. "Here's to a successful first mission! Yahoooo!"

Selphine jumped up and kissed River. "Ya got that right, sugar! All that's left is to get 'em back to Esthar."

Draco was still sitting at the bar, finishing up his Dragon's Blood Special. _Something about this whole mission doesn't feel right... It was almost too easy... Was it all a set-up to see what we were capable of?_

Yamina came up to Draco and kissed his cheek. "Something wrong, _koibito_?" ("beloved" in Japanese)

Draco shook his head. "I don't know. Something about this mission seems too easy... Are we all really that well-trained that we could complete a mission like this in a single day?"

"I don't know. I kinda noticed it, too. I didn't realize you felt the same way."

Spike came over with a bottle of Sylkis liquor and put his arm around Draco. "C'mon, buddy! We're supposed to be having fun, now! Can't you lighten up a little?"

Draco forced a smile. "Y'know, you're absolutely right, Spike, but I need to cut back on the liquor. After my next drink, I'm done."

"Sure thing."

After polishing off his drink, Draco ordered up another Dragon's Blood Special. He looked around to see what the others were doing. Sam seemed to be throwing back a little scotch, Spike now right next to her. Selphine and River were dancing on one of the tables to the music on the jukebox. Kate, Tyzen, and Zeru were all playing a game of poker, which Kate seemed to be winning, judging by her gil pile. And Yamina was right there with Draco. He decided to go and join the members of the former Team Youkai in their poker game. Yamina followed.

"Hey, guys, mind dealin' me in?"

"Sure. It's 50 gil a hand for ante." Tyzen told him.

Draco put in his 50 gil and waited for his hand to be dealt. Aces of spades and hearts, an 8 of clubs, a 3 of diamonds, and a 2 of clubs. Draco set down the 3 and 2. The others also set down two cards each. Draco was given his 2 new cards: An ace of diamonds and an 8 of hearts. _A full house, huh? I can work with that..._

"Alright, Draco, you start the betting."

He slid every gil he had in his pouch onto the table. "I'm all-in."

The other 3 players were thinking that maybe Draco wasn't a very good poker player, because only a fool would go all-in on their first hand. They all called his supposed bluff, though, and went all-in, as well.

Kate revealed her hand first. "Pair of 7's, King-high."

"Pair of 9's, Queen-high." Stated Zeru.

"Read 'em and weep, guys. Full house, 3 Kings, 2 10's!" Tyzen proclaimed. "I'll be taking this, unless you got something better, Draco."

Draco's smile said it all when Tyzen finished his statement. "Full house, Aces and 8's. My 3 Aces beat your Kings, Tyzen."

Tyzen's jaw might as well have hit the table. "I don't believe it... Beaten by a 'Dead-Man's Hand...'"

Draco collected the money. "Don't worry. Half of this'll go into the team account."

After a couple hours of celebrating, Draco decided he was going to head to the hotel, since it was getting late. He just wanted to lay down for a while. When he got back to his and Yamina's room, he laid on the bed, staring at the ceiling. His mind was restless. _What might be behind this whole mission? I know the people of Timber hired us, but I don't think those soldiers were working entirely of their own volition. I think they might've been hired by someone else... Maybe they wanted to see what today's SeeDs are capable of..._

Draco's thoughts were interrupted by Yamina entering the room and laying down next to him. She looked rather exhausted, herself. "Your cousin has far too much energy, Draco, even when he's drunk..."

Draco couldn't help but chuckle. "Yeah, River's kinda weird like that. Drinking doesn't drain him. It only seems to invigorate him."

Yamina nodded, agreeing with Draco completely on that observation. She then got up and made her way to the bathroom in the room. "I'm gonna take a bath. Maybe it'll help me not feel quite as tired."

"Alright, babe. Let me know if you need anything." She closed the door, leaving Draco to himself for a while. He sat on the edge of the single bed in the room, looking at some of the food that the manager had provided for them as thanks for their service to the town. "Well, no sense letting it go to waste, I guess." He grabbed a plate that had a piece of lasagna on it and began to eat. He downed it in about 5 minutes, laying back after he was finished. _Damn... That was some damn good lasagna. I'll have to remember to thank the chef..._

Yamina soon finished with her bath, coming out of the bathroom with nothing but her towel on. Needless to say, Draco turned deep scarlet at the sight of her. He had never seen so much of her at once, since the towel barely stayed over her large, dark breasts, and it was just long enough to cover what needed covered.

Yamina's face took on a seductive expression as she looked at Draco. "Like what you see?" She even wiggled her hips a little, which she likely didn't realize drove Draco crazy, where it almost exposed her beautiful backside.

Draco couldn't say a word. All he could do was sit and stare. That was until Yamina crawled onto his lap and kissed him with more passion than she ever had. He was taken by complete surprise by Yamina's actions, but he welcomed them. Draco returned the gesture eagerly, his hands gently undoing Yamina's towel, but when it came off, she only pressed herself closer to him, keeping herself from being completely exposed.

Eventually, Yamina broke the kiss, but then said. "Close your eyes, Draco. I've got a surprise for you..."

He did as he was told, and Yamina started to work with removing Draco's shirt. "Time for the pants to come off, _koibito._" she said playfully. Draco was a little slow to respond, but he finally obliged her, sliding his pants off, leaving only his black boxers. Yamina smiled when she saw the tent, and finally slid Draco's boxers off to reveal the cause of it. "Time for some fun, now..." She climbed back into his lap, rubbing herself against him. This caused Draco to open his eyes, finally seeing all of Yamina, which caused him to turn even redder than he already was.

"Are you sure about this, babe? Now might not be the best time, y'know." Draco said.

"I've never been more sure. I want you, Draco. I always have..." She kissed him again and started to slide herself onto him when...

Knock-knock-knock! "Hey, Draco, can we talk?" It was Tyzen's voice, and he sounded a little distraught.

Draco sighed. "Yeah. Just give me a minute." With that, Yamina slid off of him and dressed into a comfortable set of pajamas, while Draco grabbed his same black cutoff shirt and a pair of red shorts and slid into them. He answered the door, seeing Tyzen's bespectacled face on the side, looking a little sullen. "I take it something happened between you and Kate?"

Tyzen nodded. "Yeah. I had a few drinks back at the pub, and I guess I ended up playing grab-ass with her. She tolerated it for a little while until I actually managed to grope her, and that's when she literally threw me out the pub door and told me that even though I was a little drunk, it was over between us."

Draco sighed. "I see. Why don't you come in for a while? We can discuss it in private."

Tyzen accepted, slowly walking in. Draco motioned to Yamina to go and get a hold of Kate somehow, so she grabbed her wrist-unit and a headset and headed into the other room of the suite.

Draco poured a couple cups of coffee and gave one to Tyzen. "Here. This might help you to sober up."

Tyzen took it and took a sip. "Wow. You're pretty good at guessing how I like my coffee. Thanks."

"I just did it up how I usually do it. I figured you might like it like that." Draco sat down on the bed, offering a chair to Tyzen.

Sitting down, Tyzen finally calmed down a little. "I just don't get why she was so pissed. I mean, we are- er, were- dating, so what was the problem?"

Draco shook his head. "Apparently, you didn't take Kate's feelings and beliefs into account. She doesn't really strike me as the kind to enjoy something like that, right now. She's more focused on classes and missions than relationships."

Tyzen nodded. "You might be right, Draco. That might very well be the reason for that. You think I should apologize and see if I can set things right?"

"Yeah, but let's see if Yamina can get through to her..."

In the other room of the suite, Yamina was trying to talk to Kate and see if she could calm her down. "Look, Kate, I'm sure he didn't mean to do that to you. Tyzen doesn't seem like the kind of guy that would do that normally. He was drunk, after all, and the rest of us weren't completely sober, either..."

Kate was trying to stay calm, since it wasn't Yamina that was the target of her anger. "I know that, Yamina, but I can't stand when guys do that, regardless of whether they're drunk or not. I don't know what I'd do to him if it happens again..."

Yamina sighed audibly. "I can understand your anger, Kate, but I honestly think you should give Tyzen another chance. I doubt that'll happen again. He's not the kind that would consciously make that mistake twice."

Kate sighed, knowing she wouldn't win this particular argument. "Fine, but only if he apologizes sincerely..."

"I don't think that'll be a problem." Yamina then ceased the transmission and emerged from the room. "She's willing to talk, Tyzen. Just be sure you have a sincere apology ready."

Tyzen nodded. "Thanks, guys. This really means a lot!" With that, Tyzen opened the door and swiftly left the room, heading towards the room he and Kate were sharing.

Draco and Yamina then decided it would be best just to go to bed, but they still removed their shirts before hand.

The next morning brought the hard part. It was time to ship the now-petrified soldiers to Esthar Garden for interrogation. The three original squad leaders, Draco, River, and Kate, decided that they would go back to Galbadia Garden to pick up the Ragnarok while the others made sure the soldiers were ready to ship off. Their 3 hour walk was rather silent, but when they got back to the Garden, that wasn't quite the case.

"Well, well, if it isn't Team Wimp-os! Miss us, gents?" The leaders of Team Mythos ran into the three young men they definitely didn't want to see...


	7. Ch7 Interruptions & Interrogations Pt II

**Chapter 7 – Interruptions and Interrogations, Pt. 2**

Much to the chagrin of the 3 original squad leaders in Team Mythos, Team Chrome had appeared from within the Ragnarok, their faces showing both amusement and anger. James Nitrous was the first to emerge, his greatsword held on his shoulder, Mike and Pete close behind with their shotguns cocked and ready to fire.

"So, you miss us, you little fuckers?" James asked with an amused tone.

"What the hell are you doing here, Nitrous? You know the Ragnarok is only authorized for use during missions, and you definitely weren't assigned to this one." Draco gripped the Dragon Rose tightly, ready to kick the living hell out of James.

"Isn't it obvious? We decided to sabotage this little mission of yours!" Mike and Pete chuckled in response. "After all, thanks to you assholes, we didn't make the cut for SeeD! It's time for a little payback, Leonhart, and not a thing's gonna stop us!" Team Chrome took up battle positions, James leading the charge towards Draco.

Draco met Nitrous head-on, the Dragon Rose colliding with James' greatsword with sparks flying. They continued to match each other, blow for blow, until James caught Draco off-guard with a kick to one of his knees, causing him to buckle and kneel on the ground just before the ramp to the Ragnarok's cargo bay. He almost got nailed with the tip of Nitrous' blade, but he managed to roll to the side, swinging the Dragon Rose at James' legs, tripping him and causing him to hit the back of his head on the steel ramp. Nitrous immediately dropped his sword, cradling the back of his head.

At the same time, Kate and River were keeping Mike and Pete at bay, River firing off bullets of ice from his machine gun, and Kate deflecting some of the elemental slugs that were fired her way. A few of those slugs ricocheted directly back at the two gunmen, knocking them off their feet. Fortunately for Kate, the slugs were infused with the status magic that her weapons held, causing Mike and Pete to become cold stone, just like the Galbadian soldiers from the previous day.

While River wanted to help Draco with his fight, he gave a silent signal to not interfere. Nitrous had Draco on the ropes, but James didn't figure on the idea of Draco using any sort of magic. He jumped backward, then quickly cast a spell he had drawn from a T-Rexaur in the Balamb Garden Training Center. "Thundara!" The burst of lightning was enough to make Nitrous stagger, giving Draco the opening to allow for a swift leg shot that also petrified. "Now that we've got that taken care of, let's get the Ragnarok over to Timber," Draco ordered.

Back in Timber, the other members of the team were beginning to worry.

"What the hell could be taking them so long?" Spike wondered out loud.

Zeru's calm voice gave a logical answer. "It's possible they've run into a few hordes of monsters on the way. Knowing them, though, I'm sure they'll be fine."

Yamina nodded in agreement. "That makes sense. I'll bet they're just making sure to get all they can from the creatures they're taking out." _I __hope __you're __alright, __Draco. __Please __come __back __to __us._

While the group was wondering about their leaders' whereabouts, they soon heard the telltale sound of jet engines quickly approaching their current location. Within seconds, the Ragnarok's crimson form came into view, then slowly landed right in front of the main gate into the town. As the dragon-ship landed, the main hatch lowered, revealing Kate and River with Draco running up behind them. Selphine ran to meet River, kissing him as they embraced, Yamina following the same example with Draco. Kate was met with high-fives from the rest of the team.

Spike, being the tallest of the team, was the first to notice the petrified forms of Team Chrome. "So, Draco, what're those pains-in-the-ass doing on the Ragnarok?"

After finishing his kiss with Yamina, Draco finally answered him. "Apparently, they sneaked onto the ship while it was waiting at Galbadia Garden. They wanted to sabotage the mission, since they didn't make SeeD like we did. At least, that's what I gathered from their remarks before we had to kick their butts."

"Go figure. They never know when to quit..." Selphine quipped after noticing their statue-like appearance. "I'm just sorry I wasn't able to put some bullets in 'em, myself!" As she twirled her twin pistols, the rest of the team laughed heartily at Selphine's sentiment, agreeing with her completely.

After he'd finished with laughing, Draco called out in a half-laughing voice. "Alright, everyone, it's time to get to work. We have 27 stone soldiers to load in here, and I'm putting us on a half-hour time limit for this, just to see if we can do it." He turned to Yamina. "Yamina, dear, if you would do the honors..."

Yamina nodded and held out her hands towards the legion of soldiers, her status as one of Garden's best support magi becoming evident. "Float!" She had honed her para-magic skills so well that she was able to cast a single spell on a large group without the aid of Double or Triple, or with the use of an area-of-effect spell. The soldiers all had a pair of wings appear above their heads, causing them to defy every law of gravity and float about 2 feet off the ground.

"Alright, everyone," River chimed in, "let's load up some soldiers!"

Each member of the team ended up pushing or pulling 3 soldiers into the cargo hold of the Ragnarok, thankful for the weightlessness Yamina's Float spell provided to each statue. Once all 27 soldiers were loaded in, Yamina used a mass Dispel to lower them all to the floor of the hold. "So, how do we keep them from sliding around in here or falling over?" she asked.

"Hmm... Good question, Yamina..." Draco looked around at the others, his gaze stopping on Spike and Tyzen. "Hey, would you two mind staying in the hold and keeping an eye on them? After all, you two are the strongest among us."

Spike nodded. "Sure thing, bud. You can count on me. I'll try not to mess with them while they're helpless."

Tyzen also gave his approval of the plan. "Yeah, I can help out, there. Just leave it to us, Draco."

"Thank you both. Now let's get this thing in the air and head back to Esthar." _Won't __Dad __be __surprised __when __we __come __back __after __just __one __day __on __the __mission! __He __gave __us __three __days, __but __we __didn't __need __it._ Draco was rather proud of the work he and the team had done on their first mission. He also talked in his mind to the Guardian Forces he had junctioned, which had both been given to him by his parents: Bahamut from his father, and Siren from his mother. _"__Bahamut, __Siren, __thank __you __both __for __the __help __you've __given __us. __This __wouldn't __have __been __possible __without __you __two.__"_

_"__It __was __our __pleasure, __Son __of __the __Lion. __You __are __indeed __just __as __gifted __in __battle __as __the __Lion, __himself. __To __be __at __your __service __is __our __honor.__"_ Bahamut replied, and Draco could swear he could see in his mind's eye that the mighty dragon had bowed to him in respect, as had the winged songstress his mother had trusted for so many years.

When the Ragnarok returned to Esthar Garden, there was indeed a look of shock upon the Headmaster's face at how soon it was returning. "Could they really be finished with the mission already? They just left yesterday..." Squall made it a point to meet the Ragnarok at the hangar to see the team and the results of their labor.

The hold of the Ragnarok opened, revealing Spike, Tyzen, and 30 petrified forms. The rest of the team soon appeared, as well, showing hardly a scratch on any of them. Squall approached them slowly and with purpose. "Impressive work, Team Mythos. I had faith that you would be able to complete the mission, but I wouldn't have imagined you could manage it so quickly. As such, once the interrogations of the leaders are finished, you all will receive an extra two days to relax before you're assigned to another mission."

Squall's reward for the mission's quick completion was well-received, eliciting broad smiles from all of them as they stood firm before their commander. He continued, "Also, I'm aware of the actions of Team Chrome, and they will also be interrogated and disciplined accordingly. In the meantime, I would like for Leonhart, Phoenix, Loire, and Kinneas to come with me to the interrogation rooms. Everyone else, unload the soldiers and prepare them for containment and questioning." He used their last names to make it seem more official, since first names are more informal.

With a resounding "Yes, sir," the team did as they were ordered, going where they were needed.

Once all of the soldiers had been placed into their containment cells, they were treated with gold needles to remove their petrification, but they were immediately sedated to prevent any hostile action from them. The 3 Elite Soldiers were all put into their own cells, since they were suspected to be the brains behind the whole operation. The suspected leader was interrogated first, Squall acting as the primary inquisitor with the 4 selected from Team Mythos there as support.

Squall began the interrogation simply. "Alright, so your a Galbadian soldier. What is your name and rank?"

The soldier, albeit reluctantly, told him, "My name is Lieutenant Evan Slambert. I'm the battalion leader of the 73rd Galbadian Infantry, a.k.a. 'The Azure Dragons.'"

Squall nodded, his answer apparently earning approval. "Alright, Lieutenant, why were you in Timber? They've been independent of Galbadia for 10 years."

"I'm not telling you! You SeeD bastards are the reason Galbadia's not all that powerful, anymore!" Lt. Slambert then proceeded to spit in the face of the headmaster, which prompted Draco's quick reflexes, the Dragon Rose held firm near the soldier's throat.

"I'd suggest giving us the answers we want, unless you want to be a permanent fixture at the bottom of Balamb Harbor." Draco had already dealt with this man once. It wouldn't take much for him to do it again.

"Calm yourself, Draco. I appreciate the help, but such force won't be necessary." Squall's calm demeanor and affinity against violent interrogation was derived from when he was tortured and questioned in a similar manner 30 years ago. "Now, I'll ask again: Why were you in Timber?"

After soiling himself slightly and retaining his composure, the lieutenant finally gave the answer Squall was looking for. "Alright, alright... We were sent there by this mysterious woman. She only identified herself as 'V.' She wanted us to go to Timber and capture it for Galbadia once more. Most of us in the 73rd didn't like the idea that Timber was independent, and we agreed to do it. She said she'd grant us anything we wanted when we succeeded..." The soldier chuckled a little. "We all thought it was going to be just as easy as that operation we pulled off there years ago."

River beat Squall to the punch on the next question. "What operation was that?"

Evan laughed a little as he started to recall the events. "Since the 73rd was in charge of the operation, we called it 'Operation: Dragon's Keep.' It was meant to try and quash the resistance in Timber once and for all. Our basic mission was to keep any resistance members from fleeing the city, so they could be either captured or killed. We all figured that the easiest way to do that would be to disrupt their railway system, so..."

Lt. Slambert's last remark set Yamina off, causing her to punch the soldier solidly across the face. There was almost a tangible rage all around her, but Selphine still held her back. "What's gotten into you, hon?"

Yamina continued wriggling in Selphine's grasp, but her remarks were aimed at the soldier. "So it was you! You're the ones that killed them! Damn you!" She continued to fight against Selphine's grip, but she soon broke down into tears. "It's because of you... that my parents didn't make it off that train... They were the leaders of the Forest Wolf... They were trying to get me out of Timber, but they didn't make it when the train derailed..."

Draco was caught severely off-guard. "Yamina... I thought you told me that your parents died from some incurable disease?"

Yamina shook her head. "I did, but that was because I didn't want you to think of me as just a child of the resistance. The real truth is that these bastards killed my parents with a fucking bomb on the tracks!" She finally wriggled out of Selphine's grip and ran from the room.

"Yamina! Wait!" Draco turned to Squall. "I gotta go talk to her, Dad. I'm sorry." Squall nodded in understanding, giving Draco the okay to go after her.

Yamina ran all the way to the teleporters to go back to Galbadia Garden. She wanted to be in her room alone for a little while. The fact that they had captured the very same group that had killed her parents was overwhelming to her. She didn't want to believe that they couldn't do anything about what the group had done back then, the very reason for her behavior.

Unknown to Yamina, Quistis had caught sight of her running through the Garden and went to intercept her. Though she couldn't catch Yamina, she did accidentally run into Draco, causing them both to fall. Quistis got up first. "Draco! What's going on with Yamina?"

Draco wanted to wait to explain it, but he figured that she had a right to know. "It turns out those soldiers we captured are the very same ones that killed Yamina's parents. She's not really taking it all that well." Quistis' face took on a look of shock, but Draco continued. "I really need to talk to her. Could you direct me to her dorm?" Draco had never been to Yamina's single dorm. He had only been in the double one she shared with Selphine before they became SeeDs.

Quistis nodded with a soft look in her eyes. "Of course. I'll take you there. She needs someone there that can comfort her, and I don't think anyone can do that better than you, Draco."

He looked over to Quistis. "So, I guess you know about the relationship she and I have, then..."

"Yes. I've known for quite a while, in fact. I knew before you did about how she felt about you. She's been madly in love with you for years."

"I know. She told me as much." When they reached Yamina's dorm, Draco turned to Quistis again. "If you don't mind, I need to be alone with her. I need to be sure she'll be alright."

"Alright. In the meantime, I'll go help your father with the questioning. Good luck, Draco."

After Quistis left, Draco cautiously knocked on Yamina's dorm room door. "Yamina? Can I come in?"

Yamina's voice was muffled by a pillow, but still audible to Draco. "I guess..." She hit a button next to her bed that allowed access to her room. The door slid open to reveal Yamina face-down on her bed, her face buried in her pillows. The door closed behind Draco, giving him confirmation that they would be alone. Yamina turned over with her stuffed moogle in her arms. "What is it?" Her voice was pained, but her eyes held a light in them that told Draco she was glad to have him there.

"I just wanted to make sure you were okay. After all, that's a hell of a thing to hear from someone we captured on our first mission." He then noticed the moogle in Yamina's arms. "Where did that come from? Did you find it in Timber?"

Yamina nodded. "Yeah. This is Hikari. She was my only friend as a kid, and I had to leave her behind when I ran to Galbadia Garden. I was relieved when I found her again." She then motioned to her necklace. "I found this there, too. My mom gave it to me before she died. She knew I liked chocobos, so she gave me this as a way for me to always have one around, since their said to be good luck. It was too long for me back then, so I couldn't wear it. It fits me perfectly, now."

"That, it does. It's beautiful, love." Draco looked deep into Yamina's eyes. "I'm glad you found some things to remember the good days by. I'm sure they'll help you look back on the past with fondness, rather than fear." He took her hands, rubbing the backs of them with his thumbs.

Yamina's eyes started to dry, and her sniffling decreased. "I hope so, too. I'm glad you followed me here, Draco. I don't feel so bad, now. In fact, I'm glad we caught those bastards. We might be able to try them for war crimes, anyway, and that would be justice enough for me."

Draco nodded in agreement. "Yeah. This whole bit with those soldiers normally would've violated the treaty between Galbadia and Timber, but it was an independent action by that battalion, so they would be tried for it as a violation of the treaty, rather than it being voided by Galbadia authorizing militant action there."

Yamina giggled a little bit. "You know, when you talk about official stuff like that, you really do sound like your dad. It seems to me that you studied up on SeeD protocol a little too much, Draco." She gave a smile that seemed to erase the tears she had cried. She appeared to be her old self again.

"Maybe I did, but it also helps me to stay professional when dealing with clients." Draco was proud of his knowledge of SeeD protocol, as were his parents. It was part of how he had done so well on his exams.

Yamina's face took on a contemplative expression. "Hmm... True, and it does make you sound more intelligent, but it can also make you look like a show-off during a casual conversation. Remember, Draco, I'm more than just a teammate. I'm your friend and your girlfriend. So just talk to me as you would when we're hanging out from now on, okay? Just use the official stuff when it comes to missions." She playfully tapped his nose, then giggled a little.

"I'll try, babe, but I make no promises—" Draco was interrupted by an unexpected kiss from Yamina. It was a welcome one, though, as he returned it with no hesitation. His heart started racing, as did his mind, over what was going on. Before long, they had both lost control of themselves and began giving in to their passion.

Within a couple of minutes, they were both down to their undergarments, making out on Yamina's bed. Their tongues, and their bodies, were seemingly dancing in a primal rhythm that only those in the throes of passion can feel. Draco's well-toned body slowly rubbed against Yamina's, their souls and hearts completely intertwined like their sweat and lips. Yamina's hands caressed Draco's scarred back, knowing the cause was from countless hours of training in the Training Center in Balamb Garden. Draco's hands lay at either side of Yamina's face, his kisses growing in passion with each passing second.

It didn't take long for them to want to strip each other down completely, leaving them both with only what Nature had given them. It was then that they sealed their love with the ultimate act of confession. As they proceeded, Yamina's primal moans and screams were quieted by the passionate kisses of Draco. Nature's ultimate courtship among the two of them ended in a simultaneous climax for them. The two then both rested in the maiden's bed, satisfied and deeper in love.

Draco and Yamina had fallen asleep after their wild ride, but no one had come to check on them. It had been 3 hours since Draco had left to go after Yamina, but no one seemed to pay it any mind... until there was a telltale knock on Yamina's door, followed by a familiar feminine voice. "Yamina, hon? Are you alright?" It was Selphine, coming to check on her friend.

Yamina and Draco had both been startled by her sudden appearance and scrambled to get their clothes on. Just after Yamina had gotten her bra on, she accidentally hit the button to let Selphine in, allowing her to walk in on the most awkward scene Yamina could think of: She was trying to get her shirt on, while Draco was barely getting into his pants. Despite her dark complexion, Yamina's face gained a pinkish hue when Selphine walked in. "Oh, geez... I'm sorry, Selphine. I didn't mean to let you in, yet..."

Instead of being embarrassed, Selphine was grinning from ear to ear. "Well, I'll be damned! It's about time y'all finally did it! Hell, River and I took care of that one after the ball! And the night before our mission... And the night we finished it! It's nice to see y'all ain't total prudes, after all!"

Draco and Yamina looked at each other, then at Selphine, and back again, then they couldn't help but laugh at the ridiculous nature of the scene. They finished putting their clothes on, then Draco addressed Selphine. "Thanks for not running off, Selphine. I'm glad you understand what happened here, as well as how important it is to us."

"Anytime, hon. You ever need a cover to get away and do that, you let me know. I'll come up with somethin' for ya." Selphine really did have a personality that simulated both of her parents, and the current situation was perfect proof of that fact.

After a little more talking, the 3 friends walked back to the teleporters to Esthar Garden, wanting to hear the results of the questioning.


	8. Ch 8 Recreation & Revelation

**Chapter 8 – Recreation and Revelation**

Draco, Yamina, and Selphine all returned to Esthar Garden after helping Yamina cope with facing her parents' killers. She felt much better knowing that her best friend and lover were with her every step of the way. When they returned, Squall had already conducted his interrogations of the squad leaders. He was glad to see the 3 of them had returned.

"Ah, Draco, I see you managed to find Yamina. Good. I was hoping you would all come back soon. The interrogations are complete, as far as the squad captains. Thanks to them, we have a decent idea of who is behind the events in Timber. If you want to know more, go to the tech department and ask for Goto Huffson. He has all the information you'll need, for the time being."

"Yes, sir." Draco led the others to the tech department to try and get the info that had been leaked. When they arrived, they found a lone young man about Draco's age, but much taller and decidedly wider. Despite his rotund build, there seemed to be a hidden strength to this young man, his glasses hiding intelligent eyes. His hands were moving quickly along a keyboard, no doubt writing code for a new program or something along those lines.

"Hmm... This algorithm seems a little off... I'll try it again..." he said to seemingly no one but himself.

"Excuse me," Selphine began, "are you Goto Huffson?"

The big man at the keyboard stopped typing mid-line and turned towards her. "Oh, hi! I am Goto Huffson, but please, call me Huff. It's easier to remember, and it doesn't sound so weird." They all chuckled at that thought.

Draco held out a hand. "I'm Draco Leonhart of Team Mythos. We were told you had some information from the interrogations that were conducted a while ago."

Huff's eyes widened. "Oh, you're the commander's son! Yeah, I have the info. A digital rendering, in fact. The soldiers all described the same woman..."

"A woman?" Yamina was surprised. All that junk that happened in Timber was because of a woman.

"That's right, and she's a real bombshell from what they described." Huff brought up the rendering on a large screen in front of them. It depicted a tall woman in a black and crimson robe with golden blonde hair and icy eyes. Her bust was much larger than average, appearing all the larger on her slender frame. "They said she just went by one name: 'V.' She's hot, but she sounds dangerous."

"I can't help but agree with the last part of that statement, Huff. If she was able to instigate that incident in Timber, then there's no telling what else she could cause." Draco then realized something. "A little off-topic, but I have a question for you, Huff."

"Sure, go head."

"Do you belong to any sort of squad? Or is your only post here in the tech lab?"

"I'm primarily a tech support. Why do you ask?"

Draco smirked a little. "How would like to be an honorary member of Team Mythos? We could use a tech supporter like you on some of our missions."

Huff laughed a little. "Y'know, that sounds awesome! Any kind of test I need to take?"

Selphine nodded this time. "Just one: you gotta help Draco here take down a T-Rexaur in the Balamb Garden Trainin' Center."

"Hmm... Alright! Not like I have anything better to do around here. My shift's up, anyway." Huff rose from his chair and motioned for the others to lead the way. On the way there, he asked an interesting question. "So, Leonhart, how do you get so lucky to have two gorgeous ladies following you around?"

Draco nearly tripped when Huff asked him that, eliciting a giggle from Selphine. "Oh, about that," she started, "I'm just a childhood friend of his. She's the one that's datin' 'im." She held a thumb towards Yamina, who began blushing profusely.

"I see... So she's a subordinate with benefits!" Huff laughed heartily as Yamina turned away. Draco, however, was flustered, but he managed to compose himself and his words.

"We are dating, but how we spend our time alone is our business." Draco then motioned for the others to enter the transporters to Balamb Garden.

Once the four of them entered the Training Center, there was an obvious tension that mounted between them. Of course, there was a very valid reason for the rising tension: the Training Center could easily become a fight for one's life. Draco summoned his weapon first, the majestic Dragon Rose. Yamina then brought forth her Firebird Soul staff, while Selphine drew Flirt and Tease from their respective holsters. Huff, however, brought forth an unusual weapon: a beam dagger. While the beam blade is only about a foot and a half long, its cutting power is almost unmatched, able to cut through most metals with little issue.

After double-checking their junctions, the 4 of them searched for a T-Rexaur, which most SeeDs wouldn't do, unless they had the skills to take one down. After about 15 minutes of cutting down Grats and Bite Bugs, their quarry finally revealed itself. The prehistoric powerhouse announced itself with a deafening roar, causing Draco and Huff to take up their battle positions.

"Alright, Huff. Let's see what you can do."

The fight was on, Huff opening the battle with a massive Meltdown spell. The nuclear beam severely weakened the mighty beast, at least in terms of defenses. Draco then made to strike at its legs, but was caught by the dino's whip-like tail, causing him to slide back to where he was. Groaning as he returned to his feet, Huff appeared to be readying a GF, which meant that Draco needed to buy him some time.

"Alright, ugly! Come get some!" Draco then cast a Pain spell on the beast, causing it to become blind, silent, and poisoned. He figured that spell alone would be able to buy Huff enough time to call his GF. He had no clue what GF he would have registered, though.

Lucky for Huff, that spell was all that was needed to buy him the time he needed to call forth his GF. "Come forth, ruler of the tundra! Arthas!" A frigid wind picked up, building up a large column of ice. Within the column materialized a knight in dark armor, his eyes glowing with icy energy. He broke free of the column, then summoned a sword from the cold air around him. A dark blade, to be sure, but it still contained all the cold of the ice around him.

"Frostmourn hungers... Remorseless Winter!" The massive knight drove his blade into the ground, a huge column of ice forming around the T-Rexaur. He then pulled his blade up, then drove it through the ice and the dinosaur. At that point, the knight, the ice, and the sword, all shattered, leaving the T-Rexaur dead on the ground.

The others couldn't help but stand astonished at the ferocity and power of Huff's GF. Huff turned to the others and laughed. "What? Never seen a giant knight before?"

"Not one like that!" Draco exclaimed. "Where did you find him?"

"I found him during my prerequisite mission before the field exam. Fortunately, I had plenty of Fire and protection spells to help me against him. Mind you, this was up in Trabia, so the mission is slightly different from what it used to be in Balamb." Huff was proud of his GF with good reason. Even Bahamut would have difficulties taking on Arthas.

"Well, then I think it's safe to say you're one of us, Huff. Welcome to Team Mythos." Draco held out a hand to Huff, who took it with enthusiasm. He was apparently a very excitable guy. "You could likely be of a lot of use out in the field. I'm surprised you haven't been deployed anywhere."

"I'm a little too lazy for most field work, but I'll help where I can." Draco had to give Huff credit for honesty. At least he admitted he was lazy.

"Alright, but we'll definitely be able to use your expertise in technology. If we ever need some technological know-how, you'll be our go-to guy." Draco then led the way back out of the Training Center and back to Esthar Garden. Once there, Huff returned to the tech department, leaving the others to figure out what to do from there.

Selphine perked up a little. "Hey! I just remembered! We have the next couple days off, right? We need to find something fun for all of us to do durin' that time!"

Draco chuckled, then nodded. "That's not a bad idea. We'll get the others together and see what we come up with."

About 15 minutes later, the members of Team Mythos all gathered in Esthar Garden's quad to plan something for the next couple of days. Selphine spoke up first. "Alright, y'all, since the next couple days are ours to do with as we please, we need to find somethin' fun to do! So, let's hear some ideas!"

Spike voiced his idea first. "We could always go to Balamb. The sea breeze could really do us all some good."

River shook his head. "Not a good idea, from what I've heard recently. I've heard there's a cold front comin' in over that way, bringin' some storms along with it. They're even hunkerin' down over at Balamb Garden as we speak." He added his idea in. "Instead, why don't we head up to Deling City again? After all, we all had a lot of fun there after the interviews."

Zeru shook his head this time. "Sorry. I generally avoid Deling City like the plague. Something about that place makes me uneasy."

Kate nodded in agreement. "I'm with Zeru on this one. Not really a big fan of the place..."

Draco finally gave them an excellent idea. "Hey, what about a trip to Winhill? I read online that they're starting their annual Flower Festival tonight, and they have some really great music lined up."

The idea of live music piqued the interest of many of the team's members. Even Samantha, who was normally quiet, had something to say about it. "What bands have you heard about?"

Draco grinned a little, reciting from memory the bands that the Festival site had listed. "They've got bands like Lady Chocobellum, CC Drop, and Snowy City slated to perform."

Selphine perked up even more at the mention of the bands. "Really?! I love Lady C! I'd be more than willin' to go check 'em out in person! Let's go!"

The rest of the group seemed agreeable to the idea, giving out affirmative cheers simultaneously. They all dispersed to their dorms to pack things for the next couple of days. They all finished rather quickly, but Draco was the last to return.

"Hey, Draco, what took you so long?" Spike and Draco often had a habit of teasing each other like that, so Spike couldn't resist the chance.

"I was asking my dad if we could use a couple of the Garden Cars from Galbadia for the trip. He's already cleared it with Headmistress Trepe, so we'll be using those to get to Winhill." Draco was generally one to plan ahead for trips, especially with transportation.

"Alright! Let's hit the road!" River led the group to the transporters to Galbadia Garden, eager to visit the town his grandfather spoke so fondly of.

* * *

A couple hours drive from the Garden, Winhill was still the quaint little town it always had been, though it was completely decorated with flowers of all shapes, sizes, colors, and aromas. No doubt that the Flower Festival was always the most fragrant time of year for the town. The tradition of the festival began on the 20th anniversary of Raine Loire's death, due to her love of lilies and other flowers. She was such a prominent member of the village that the residents wanted to find a way to honor her memory for years to come. Thus, the Winhill Flower Festival was born.

When Team Mythos arrived, the sight nearly overwhelmed them all. The girls were all just taking in the beauty of the flowers, and the guys were merely enjoying the sights of the town itself. The arrangement of the flowers in town was truly a wondrous sight to behold.

The team stopped at the hotel, which had expanded a great deal in the past 30 years. They added another floor to the building, along with expanding outwards, to accommodate more guests. This was a direct result of the Festival.

Draco approached the desk with his debit card in hand. "Excuse me, sir."

"Yes? What can I do for you?" the old innkeeper asked in a friendly tone. _Gotta love these small town hotels_, Draco thought.

"We have a reservation here under Leonhart," he looked back to the others. "What, you thought I spent all that time after packing just talking to my dad? I had to make sure we could get rooms, too." Laughter came from everyone on the team.

"Yes, here we are. Speaking of that name, are you any relation to Squall Leonhart?" Apparently the innkeeper knew the legendary SeeD, or at least knew of him.

"Yeah. He's my dad. You know him?" Draco's interest was piqued at this old timer's mention of his father.

"Yes, I do. He was born in this village, you know. His mother, however, died during childbirth, and his father was sadly not here for them. I understand he tried to return here in time for the birth, but just couldn't manage..."

Draco's jaw dropped. His father hadn't mentioned any of this. He knew that Laguna was his grandfather, but Squall had never said anything about his mother or where he was born. This was all news to him. _Wow. He never told me any of that. That explains why he never brought me here for the Festival..._

"You're the spitting image of your father, you know, which means you also look an awful lot like your grandmother. You should visit her, when you get the chance. No doubt she would like to see her grandson, even if it's only in spirit." The innkeeper seemed to know a lot about Draco's grandmother, which only made him more intrigued.

"I think I will. What was her name? Dad never told me."

The innkeeper chuckled as old men do, smiling at the young man before him. "Her name was Raine Loire, though your father was given her maiden name."

"Thanks. Could we get the keys to our rooms? I think we had 4 reserved." The innkeeper nodded and handed the keys to Draco, who then passed three of them to River, Spike, and Kate. "Alright, guys, let's get situated, then we're free to do as we please for the day. Just keep in contact in case something Festival-related comes up." The group nodded and followed Draco upstairs to their rooms. It was set up where Draco and Yamina shared a room, as did River and Selphine, and Spike and Samantha. The original Team Youkai opted for a group room.

Draco and Yamina were the first to settle in, then leave on their own. Despite the excitement of the Festival, Draco wanted to visit his grandmother's grave. He asked the innkeeper on the way out where it was, and the old man was all too happy to give him detailed directions. It was early evening at this point, with the sun starting to set on the horizon. It was a beautiful backdrop on the field of flowers that was the final resting place of Raine Loire.

Draco approached the grave slowly, Yamina keeping a little distance from him. He knelt down and swept his hand over the gravestone, wiping away any dirt and debris. The gravestone was a simple one, a small marble slab with a plaque that bore Raine's name, as well as the dates of her birth and death.

"Hey, Grandma. I guess you wouldn't really know me, but I'm Draco. I'm Squall's son." He felt a little silly speaking to a gravestone. After all, the dead couldn't talk back... right?

A few seconds after Draco introduced himself, an apparition appeared in front of him and Yamina. Yamina gasped at the sight, and Draco jumped back a little, but something about this figure was familiar to him. "Are you... Raine?"

The apparition nodded in response. "That I am. I'm glad I could finally meet my grandson. I once visited your father here like this, if only just to see him as a grown man. He looks much like me, but there is some of his father in him, too."

Draco was amazed. He never imagined he would get to meet his grandmother, albeit in a spiritual form. "I didn't know he had ever been here, until earlier today."

"He likely didn't tell you because it would cause him a lot of pain," Raine began. "The first time he came here, he didn't even know that I was his mother, nor did he know that Laguna was his father. When he found out, though, he was in tears for likely the first time in his adult life. I was glad he finally knew, though. It meant that he had more than just Ellone for family."

"I know Aunt Elle. She used to spoil me and River as a kid." Draco laughed at the memory.

"Who's this River?" Raine was genuinely interested in this other member of Draco's family.

"That would be me, Grandma Raine." River and Selphine approached behind Draco and Yamina, startling them both. "I'm Ellone's son, River Loire."

Raine's ghostly form appeared to tear up in joy. "Oh, my word! You look just like Laguna when he was young!"

"Yeah, I get that a lot." River scratched the back of his head. _I always knew ghosts existed!_ he thought to himself.

"And both of you are SeeDs, like my son. I'm very proud of both of you." Raine then wrapped her spectral arms around both of her grandchildren. "I can rest easier knowing that my grandchildren are such amazing people. Please, feel free to visit me anytime. I'll be here for you."

"Thanks, Grandma," Draco and River spoke their gratitude simultaneously, causing them both to chuckle. Draco continued. "I'll try to come back after the Festival's over. After all, it would be rude to leave without a proper farewell."

"It certainly would, Draco. I look forward to your return." As quickly as she appeared, Raine vanished into thin air.

The four at the grave all turned and left. Draco's face held a mixture of joy and anger. "My dad has a lot of explaining to do when we get back..."

The team all regrouped in the town square for the first concert, which was headlined by the country band Lady Chocobellum. They led off with an upbeat number, "Looking for a Good Time," to get the crowd moving a little. Afterward, they performed a slower song, "Dancing Away with My Heart," which caused most of the couples in the audience to start slow dancing, including Draco and Yamina, who enjoyed every second of the dance. After several more songs, the concert was over, bringing applause from the crowd, which was rather large for the small town. Selphine managed to catch the band right after the concert to get autographs, which she got for herself and Draco, since she knew he was a fan of the band, too. After she handed him his own autographed copy of Lady C's latest album, the group all returned to the hotel for some much needed rest.

* * *

Author's Notes: This is the first time I've done these for this story, so I can explain a few things from previous chapters, too. First off, as far as the characters go, all of the OC's except Selphine and River, and the leader of the soldiers in the last chapter, are based on myself and people that I know. Also, the pairings of DracoxYamina and SpikexSamantha are based in real life, too. ^_^

To clarify some things from this chapter, let's start with Huff's GF, Arthas. Yes, he is directly based on the Lich King from World of Warcraft, and that's primarily because of how much the guy he's based on loves that game. I wanted this friend of mine to feel like he was more connected to the story, so I threw that in as a bonus for him.

As for the bands I mentioned in this chapter, I actually based them on real life bands. Lady Chocobellum is obviously Lady Antebellum, Snowy City is based on Owl City (since Snowy is a species of owl), and CC Drop is a reference to ZZ Top, since I wanted to make a reference to a classic Southern Rock band. Also, the songs that I mentioned for Lady C (or Lady A, if you will) are also real songs of theirs. Look them up, if you wanna see what kind of music the first concert consisted of.

I could also use some feedback about the scene with Raine's ghost. I'd seen similar scenes done before, and I didn't want her to just be a dead character that didn't respond when she was talked to by her family. After all, this is Final Fantasy we're talking about; supernatural stuff happens all the time!

As one final note, since I included Arthas in here, Arthas and World of Warcraft belong to Blizzard Entertainment, and just in case, Final Fantasy VIII, its characters, and locations, belong to Square-Enix.

Also, let me know if I should include Author's Notes at the end of each chapter after this. It might severely improve my writing knowing that people are actually reading this story and giving feedback on it.

The real final note: Sorry it took so damn long for me to write this. Writer's block is a pain in the ass. Hopefully, Chapter 9 won't take as long. See y'all next time!


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